Pollution emissions in a drive-through

Research into components of pollution from an idling gas-powered engine in a drive-through shows that the volume of emissions varies depending on whether a vehicle is braking, idling, coasting or gently accelerating as it moves through the queue.

Figures represent emissions in milligrams per second of each pollutant in different stages of movement in a fast-food drive-through lane. All three chemicals (carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, react with one enother and with other pollutants in the presence of sunlight to create ozone or "smog."
Chart: Tim Sheehan / Central Valley Journalism CollaborativeSource: "An Evaluation of the Effects of Drive-Through Configurations on Air Quality at Fast Food Restaurants," by Keziah Hill, Fengxiang Qiao, et al,, 2016, Texas Southern University, in the Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering