Car exhaust's health effects show why Scotland needs a Vehicle Idling Action campaign that makes drivers take notice – Alastair Dalton

They sit parked, behind the wheel, almost invariably staring down at their phones, oblivious.

Most would probably have no idea what they were doing wrong, the children’s health they were threatening, the damage to the planet they were causing, the money they were wasting – all needlessly.

I make no apology in returning to this topic – if you haven’t guessed it already – because it is ruining my, and I daresay many others’, daily walks through otherwise pleasant streets in an effort to stay sane as the Covid pandemic stretches on.

My previous description of these miscreants was getaway drivers, keeping their engines running because they needed to make a fast exit.

Back in the day, such criminals would not have raised suspicion, but idling is nowadays illegal in many areas for altogether different reasons, and we should have every reason for asking motorists why they are still doing it.