PREVENTING OZONEOn the Road

You’re in the driver's seat to reduce Ozone Pollution.

Ozone and vehicles. Did you know that vehicles contribute to about one third of all ozone-causing emissions in the Denver area? These emissions are produced by the cars and trucks we drive everyday. But we can lower the impact on our air by improving their maintenance, reducing the number of miles traveled each day, and making public transportation a priority. You can find more information below about how to participate in some of the great programs already running smoothly around town.

Help your car come clean.  With the Regional Air Quality Council's (RAQC) Repair Assistance Program, we can help bring your car back to a cleaner state.   The program offers $715 of financial assistance to those motorists who have a high-polluting vehicle. Eligible vehicles must go through the State of Colorado’s high emitter program. This program is operated separately from RAQC.  To get started, first visit the State’s High Polluter page. 

We’ll give you green for your machine.  If your vehicle is beyond repair, the RAQC has a salvage program that will give you cash if you give us your high polluter. Some of the vehicles we’ve taken in produce more pollution than 20 late-model cars. In exchange for permanently retiring your older vehicle, we can offer you $1,000 and RTD coupons to help you get into a newer, cleaner vehicle that requires fewer repairs. Eligible vehicles must go through the State’s high polluter program.  For more information, visit the State’s High Polluter page.

Maintenance Matters.  A well-maintained vehicle saves you money and produces up to 30 percent less air pollution.  Make sure you keep your vehicle running as efficiently as possible to clear the air and avoid more expensive repairs down the road. Simply replacing an air filter can save up to 55 gallons of fuel per year, and keeping your tires properly inflated can help save up to 18 gallons of fuel per year. To learn more about repair discounts and participating local repair facilities visit www.Maintenance-Matters.org.

Don’t be Idle.  An idling vehicle gets the worst gas mileage possible – 0 MPG.  We hope to dispel many myths about idling vehicles, including the idea that you use more fuel turning your car on and off. That is simply not true.  If you plan to idle for more than 30 seconds, please turn off your engine. For more information, visit the Denver coalition web site at www.Enginesoff.com.

Easy Fixes.  Vehicles that run on diesel fuel are as sturdy as they come.  Often though, these vehicles produce high levels of pollution that can be easily reduced by retrofitting simple exhaust system components and adding idling reduction technology.  The RAQC and its partners have a robust retrofit program designed to reduce emissions from school buses, semi-trucks, government and commercial fleets as well as heavy duty vehicles. These projects help to reduce pollution by changing parts out instead of having to replace the vehicles all together.  For more information, visit www.CleanAirFleets.org. 

Transport Yourself Differently. We have so many choices in public transportation and ways to reduce our vehicle emissions in the Denver Metro area.Find out more about transit efforts in the city and what the government is doing to make sure our transportation needs are planned well into the future. Visit DRCOG’s web site for more information. 

Tips for summer drivers:

  • Keep your car tuned up and tires well inflated to increase mileage and reduce the need for refueling.
  • Refuel in the evening, so fuel vapors will not have a chance to “cook” into ozone.
  • When refueling your car, stop at the click -- when the nozzle clicks off. Don't overfill or drip fuel. Fuel creates ozone-causing vapors as it evaporates.
  • Avoid idling your car unnecessarily while waiting in parking lots or service lines. Turn off the engine instead.
  • Reduce your driving by delaying trips, combining errands into one trip, carpooling, walking or biking, or using public transportation.