Motorists who leave engines idling risk carbon monoxide poisoning

Besides causing air pollution and wasting fuel, leaving your engine idling when you are not in traffic can also cost you your life (“Stiffer penalties for taxi fare cheats, drivers who leave engines idling”; April 30).

Carbon monoxide gas is produced when fuel burns and vehicle engines are idling. It is colourless, tasteless and odourless, giving no hint of its presence.

When inhaled, carbon monoxide prevents blood cells from carrying enough oxygen, so the brain and heart suffer quickly, harming the entire body. Even if you escape death, permanent brain damage can result.

Never leave a car engine running in an enclosed space or somewhere with poor ventilation. Carbon monoxide can prove deadly within minutes.

Exhaust pipes that are faulty, leaking and rusty can cause carbon monoxide to seep into the vehicle’s interior through leaks or cracks in the floorboards.

For motorcyclists, it is advisable not to ride too close to the back of moving vehicles because the toxic gas is emitted from exhaust pipes.

Years back, a couple in a car at a Choa Chu Kang multi-storey car park were found dead from acute carbon monoxide poisoning.

The Coroner’s inquiry found that both the car engine and air-conditioning had been turned on, and carbon monoxide had leaked in from holes in the floorboards and built up in the car.

We should not sleep in a parked car while the engine is running, even though it is common to find taxi drivers on the night shift doing that when they are tired.

Motorists must be aware of the risks of carbon monoxide pollution and poisoning from their vehicles, and try to prevent them. They should regularly check their cars and exhaust pipes, switch off their engines when they are not driving, and wind down their windows while waiting inside their vehicles.

It is better to be safe than sorry.