This is so weird. I've run into this so much this week that I Googled it.

I Googled 'Should I turn off my car at a red light?' Here's what Google said:

Unless you drive a vintage, carburetor-equipped vehicleyou'll save fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by turning it off. ... That being said, we don't recommend turning your car on and off in stop-and-go traffic; driving safely means being able to respond quickly to traffic conditions.

 

I've had my windows down a couple of times (the 40s in March is way different than the 40s in October). I have heard the car next to me start up when the light turns green. That means, their engine was off and they had to start their car. What? Why do that?

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Apparently, it's to save money on gas. It makes sense: if the car isn't running, it's not using gas. The Car Talk guys Tom and Ray, about seven years ago in the Columbus Dispatch, were helping a girl whose boyfriend insisted on turning off the car at every single light.

While they agreed that turning off your engine will save fuel, all that stopping and starting will probably wear out your starter and use up all that savings and more. But a lot of cars come with stop/start technology and come equipped with super duper starters that can handle it.

Do you turn off your engine at red lights? Would you? There's no way I can handle the honking when I completely forget that I've turned off my car!

 

 

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