Help air quality: Limit driving this weekend

Unusually warm temperatures are increasing ozone levels along the Wasatch Front, and the Utah Division of Air Quality is asking residents in Utah, Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties to limit their driving today and Saturday to help curb the problem.

"We are seeing moderately high pollution levels," said Bryce Bird, manager of DAQ's air standards branch, in news release. "(We) need people to limit their driving for the sake of air quality and people who are sensitive to pollution."

When vehicle emissions mesh with heat and sunlight, they create ozone, a damaging invisible gas.

This year, residents can find three-day forecasts for the above counties online at www.airquality.utah.gov. Also posted will be color-coded alerts, part of the Department of Environmental Quality's Choose Clean Air campaign.

"Green" days signify good air quality. "Yellow " days indicate increasing pollution, and officials recommend that residents carpool, use mass transit and consolidate vehicle use. On "red" days, DAQ officials ask that residents refrain from using gasoline and diesel-powered engines.

Officials called for 16 voluntary no-drive days last year, four more than in 2005.