When Drive Clean is fully operational across this second phase of the program, there will be about five million vehicles included. That means Drive Clean is on target to achieve its goal of a 22 per cent reduction in smog-causing pollutants from vehicles in the program area. This is good news. But there is more good news. We also estimate that cleaning up vehicle emissions systems will result in a decrease of about 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and a contributor to global warming.
A 100,000 tonne reduction is equivalent to taking 23,000 cars off the road. There are other direct benefits to us as vehicle owners. Keeping the emissions systems properly maintained prolongs the life of cars and contributes to fuel economy. The analysis that we did of those 1999 results showed an overall savings of 7.4 million litres of fuel as a result of Drive Clean, a significant achievement in itself. I want to turn to Drive Clean Facilities and service to the public for a moment and again quote from the research results.