Billy Idol Takes on Idling

When you hear the name Billy Idol, it likely conjures images of the legendary British punk rocker's strikingly platinum blond hair or signature sneer. And why not? The guy has consistently rocked the look throughout the duration of his decades-long career. What you may not associate with the award-winning musician, depending on your level of fandom, is environmentalism.

But thanks to a new campaign recently launched in New York City — one that cleverly riffs off of Idol's iconic stage name — that's about to change. The punny initiative seeks to battle the negative effects of unnecessary vehicle idling in the City That Never Sleeps. Working with the city's Department of Environmental Protection, the $1 million campaign — which includes billboards, radio spots, commercials (both television and inside cabs), and more — boldly features the celebrity declaring, "Billy never idles. Neither should you."

The campaign is hoping to quell some of the pollution caused by rampant idling throughout the city. Collectively, motor vehicles account for 11 percent of all fine particulate air pollution and 28 percent of nitrogen oxide pollution in the city. But it's estimated that just by curbing all of this unnecessary idling — typically found in loading and drop-off zones — it would be the equivalent of taking 18,000 vehicles off the street.

NYC is no stranger to fighting the negative effects of idling. In fact, it even went so far as to incentivize citizens to report incidents of idling by shelling out a 25 percent share of the penalties issued. This amounted to $175,000 in payouts total last year!

Like New York, Actsoft also takes environmental issues seriously, which is a big part of why we offer solutions that help businesses reduce their carbon footprints. Giving our customers the ability to actively monitor their drivers' behaviors while behind the wheel means they can see just how frequently their fleet vehicles are being intentionally left running when they should, in fact, be turned off.

Not only does this wreak havoc on the environment, but it's also needlessly helping to siphon money right out of your bank account. Our friends over at Geotab crunched some numbers and discovered that, given an average cost of $2.50 per gallon for fuel, just one hour of idling each week could amount to $65 wasted over the course of a year.

That might not sound like much, but we're just talking about one vehicle and a modest amount of weekly idling time. Jump to a fleet of, say, 25 vehicles, and you're looking at a loss of $1,625 each year. Increase the idling to 1 hour per day, and you're left with an $8,125 deficit.

All because your drivers aren't cutting their engines when they're parked for an extended period of time.

So why not take a page from Billy Idol and NYC's playbook? Let's work together and curb those wasteful idling habits. The atmosphere and your bank account will thank you.

Have any questions on how Actsoft can help you?