Two young girls were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning yesterday after they collapsed inside their mother's idling car. Their mother had put the 4-year-old and 7-year-old in the car outside of their home on West Tremont Avenue to stay warm while she shoveled the driveway. However, the mother "accidentally shoveled snow in front of the running vehicle's tailpipe - blocking the opening and sending noxious fumes back inside," more ›

Go nuts, punctuation sticklers. This sign, which either admonishes drivers for leaving their engines idling or encourages loafing youths to hold their breath, was recently spotted outside P.S. 277 in Brooklyn. Besides contributing to global warming, CO2 emissions from vehicles are a major factor in NYC's high childhood asthma rates; the malady is the most common cause of hospitalization for New York children 14 years and younger. Last month, Mayor Bloomberg signed a law reducing the permitted idling time near schools from three minutes to one minute, with potential fines ranging from $220 to $2,000 for repeat offenders. more ›

According to the AP, police say that a Queens man was killed when "fumes from an unoccupied vehicle that was idling in a garage seeped into a bedroom." Apparently the NYPD went to a home on 141st Street last night around 10:40 p.m. and "found a couple unconscious and unresponsive." The man, 79, was pronounced dead at the scene while a 69-year-old woman is in serious but stable condition. The police, who are investigating, don't suspect any criminality. Related: Here are tips from the NYC Office of Emergency Management about the dangers of carbon monoxide; you should have at least one CO detector in your home, placing it within 15 feet from sleeping areas. more ›