In a choice that was not only baffling but highly irritating, one person's neighbor left a diesel truck idling in their driveway for several hours.
The person snapped a photo and wrote about the incident in the subreddit r/mildlyinfuriating. "This diesel truck [was] running in my neighbors driveway for over 2.5hrs," they vented. "My elderly neighbors' son came to visit today. This loud diesel truck sat running in their driveway from before 4pm until after 6:30pm."
Commenters were bewildered. "Do people like this WANT their car stolen?" one asked.
"It gels in below freezing weather but most winter blends have an anti-gel in them to stop that," another explained. "Diesel guys think you need to warm the engine up and get the turbo warm, but you don't."
To deal with the frustrating situation, one commenter suggested filing a noise complaint.
"In my state if you leave your vehicle running while unattended and a cop has to be called to check on it, you can receive a $250 ticket," another said.
There are good reasons for these penalties. According to research from the University of California, an idling heavy-duty diesel truck can emit 10 times more toxic nitrogen oxides than a passenger car. This leads to significant air pollution and health impacts for anybody exposed to idling trucks over time.
"That's what diesels are designed for," one person said sarcastically. "Idling."
Another agreed, calling it "a lot of useless pollution."
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In general, diesel-powered vehicles are significant contributors to air pollution and global heating. With increased emissions of oxides such as NO2 and CO2, the atmosphere traps more heat in what is known as the greenhouse effect. This planet-wide warming also impacts weather patterns, causing more severe storms and droughts.
In order to reduce this pollution and secure a more stable and resilient future, many people — including businesses — are switching to far less pollutive electric vehicles. To take it a step further, many are looking to incorporate more public transportation, biking, and walking into their transit.
Despite the negative health and pollution impacts, idling for no apparent reason continues to be a surprisingly common practice.
"My neighbor does this too," one person said. "It's so annoying."
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