Broward County Urges Residents to Report Smoking Vehicles

Broward County Urges Residents to Report Smoking Vehicles

DATE: August 28, 2012 MEDIA CONTACT: Maribel Feliciano Broward County Air Quality Program PHONE: 954-519-1260, 954-290-6753, 954-290-3940 EMAIL: mfeliciano@broward.orgHow often do you find yourself driving behind a smoking vehicle? You roll the windows up, close the vents and can still smell the fumes. In an effort to alleviate this problem, the Broward County Air Quality Program created the Smoking Vehicle Program. One of the main goals of this voluntary program is to educate the public about the effects of smoking vehicles and what actions they can take to help resolve this problem. A smoking vehicle is any car, bus or truck that generates smoke from the exhaust pipe continuously for more than five seconds. This smoke is made up of tiny particles that can lodge in your lungs and is a major contributor to respiratory diseases such as asthma and emphysema. To report a smoking vehicle, call the Smoking Vehicles Complaint Line at 954-519-1499, or visit broward.org/air and click REPORT SMOKING VEHICLES to complete an online complaint form. Reports can be anonymous and should include the following: Vehicle's Florida license plate number Make/type and color of vehicle Date and time of observing the smoking vehicle Location (i.e. I-95 Northbound at Oakland Park Blvd.) Residents can do their part to keep Broward County’s air clean by reporting smoking vehicles and keeping them off the road. Interesting facts about motor vehicles: About 30 percent of Broward County’s greenhouse gas emissions come from passenger cars and light duty trucks. Smoking vehicles generate 10 to 15 times more pollution than well-tuned vehicles. Smoking vehicles contribute 20 to 30 percent of the soot and particles in the air. Motor vehicles account for more than 50 percent of the air pollution in Broward County. Between 2002 and 2011, more than 3,000 smoking vehicle complaints were reported in Broward County.