I was stuck in a non-moving traffic accident this weekend because all the lanes on a major highway were closed.  Once I realized that the stoppage would be long-term, to reduce unecessary emissions from idling, I shut off my engine.

It’s amazing how many drivers will leave their engines on, and idle, during prolonged traffic jams.  During a prolonged traffic jam, I’m usually quite content fiddling around with my radio, and any other peripheral devices plugged into the cigarette lighter, which all function fine on the car’s AC power.