Turn off those engines while your vehicles are idling and maybe save a kid’s life. 

That was the message sent today, World Asthma Day, by a group of environmentalists and city officials on the steps of City Hall. They were accompanied by a group of schoolchildren who were driven to the event in hybrid vehicles. 

Vehicle emission is believed to be the main factor causing asthma, greatly effecting children in school zones, said Louise Vetter, chief executive officer of the American Lung Association of the City of
New York. 

“That can be a death sentence,” she said. What can we do to stop air pollution and prevent asthma? Turn off your engines.” 

The city;s  anti-idling laws  fine drivers from $125 to $2,000 for idling engines for more than three minutes. 

“When New Yorkers understand the truth about idling – health and environmental costs, waste of fuel and money, and that it’s against the law – they will take the simple step of turning off their engines,” said Rebecca Kalin, Director of Asthma Free School Zone. 

In this era of high gas prices one environmentalist stressed the economic advantages of not idling engines. 

“Drivers who idle spend $30 million in gas each year,” said Mel Peffers of the Environmental Defense Fund. 

Department of Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan said the goal was to reduce emissions by nine percent per square mile by 2015 and 39 percent by the year 2030.