This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A campaign encouraging Davis County commuters to tattle on smokers is paying off in growing ranks of informants - and, hopefully, cleaner air, say health officials.
No, it's not another anti-cigarette crusade. It's a complaint-driven movement to cut down on vehicles that emit excessive exhaust, a major source of pollution along the Wasatch Front. The program is nearly a decade old, but a push to advertise it begun last fall has yielded a fivefold increase in complaints.
In 2006, the county logged 124 reports of toxin-belching vehicles, said Davis County associate health director Delane McGarvey. Of those, 50 were checked by county technicians, fixed and cleared. One is under repair. Fourteen are in limbo, either because the county can't track down the driver or the driver has ignored notices to clear up the problem. Five cars were sold and another 54 were referred to other municipalities.
In August, the county began circulating "fill-in-the-blank" pamphlets encouraging citizens to report mobile polluters.
County officials then follow up with alleged violators, requiring them to come in for emissions testing. If the car owners refuse, they can be summoned before a judge and slapped with a class A misdemeanor.
Whether such programs do much to help Utah meet ever more restrictive national air quality standards is unknown. But Cheryl Heying, a branch manager at the state Department of Environmental Quality, said they can't hurt.
"Cars are getting cleaner, but people are driving more," said Heying, noting that half of the valley's pollution is due to vehicles. Living near a major highway, especially one heavily used by diesel vehicles, increases exposure to dangerous pollution and contributes to higher rates of cancer, lung problems and asthma attacks.
Studies show that while smoking cars comprise a small percentage of the vehicles on Utah roadways, they spit out significantly larger amounts of poisons, said Heying. "So, it makes sense to target those cars."
The campaign also gives law-abiding drivers a chance to air frustrations over those who knowingly or unknowingly skirt the state's emissions standards, said Colin Burton, a Davis County technician.
Burton fields complaints and works with car owners to bring their vehicles into compliance.
"We figured most of the complaints would be about diesels, but it turned out two-thirds were gas," said Burton.
Most people are surprised to learn their cars are smoking; a few are even thankful, said Burton, citing the case of a man who had purchased a "lemon" and was having trouble persuading the dealer to repair it.
"He was able to take our paperwork and convince the dealer to pay to bring the car back in compliance," said Burton. "He was tickled."
Teens who supercharge their cars by installing high-performance computer chips are the least obliging, said Burton. "They figure if the chips are for sale, they must be legal. But they're for off-road use only."
It can costs thousands of dollars to fix a car's emissions, which is why McGarvey recommends drivers stay on top of routine maintenance.
It's not just good for the air; it's good for the pocketbook, said McGarvey, adding that well-maintained cars get better gas mileage, last longer and require fewer costly repairs.