War on Pollution : Be patriotic on July 4th and dial the 1-800-559-SMOG hotline when you see a smoking vehicle.

This Fourth of July, most of us will be generating more tailpipe smoke than barbecue smoke. It’s a popular fiction that we spend the Fourth in the back yard. The truth is we drive around like crazy and spend only minutes roasting wienies.

At the risk of being considered a killjoy, I thought I would suggest that the truly patriotic among us might join the fight against smog in Ventura County this weekend. When we’re driving this Friday and Saturday, most of us will not be under commuting pressure. We can look at and think about things a little differently--such as defending our environment with the same kind of effort we’ve traditionally put into defending our country.

Specifically, if we notice a smoking exhaust on the car or truck ahead of us, we can phone the smoking vehicle hotline at 1-800-559-SMOG when we get to our destination.

The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District started soliciting such calls in January. According to A. L. Danzig, manager of the district’s enforcement section, those black or blue plumes of smoke billowing from local vehicles are much more than a blight on the county’s scenery. As he explains it, each smoking nasty puts as much filth into the county’s air as 10 cars that failed the smog certification test--or a hundred that passed it.

Put another way, if you can see smoke, you’re looking at the bad guys who, despite their small numbers--10% of us all--cause two-thirds of the smog that fouls the county, according to Danzig’s figures.

The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District has been running ads in local papers, saying “polluting the air is a crime. So if you see a smoking vehicle, do something about it. Call in the license number and we’ll do the rest.”

Although this sounds like tough stuff, Danzig explained what really happens. “We have no police power at the Air Pollution Control District. We don’t turn over the call to the California Highway Patrol. We send a courtesy letter--in English and Spanish--to the registered owner of the car with the plate number you called in. It asks the owner to fix the car so it doesn’t smoke.”

Regarding people’s reactions, Danzig said, “75% respond.” While some respondents registered unhappiness, most averred that they were going to go and sin no more.

In a sense, Danzig’s letter is a blessing in disguise. A little jolt from him, initiated by your 800 number call, may get folks to cut their smoke before it gets so bad that it attracts the eye of the real police . The CHP has, since January, been cruising the county issuing tickets when the officer sees tailpipe smoke. That’s a $250 fine.

Incidentally, Ventura County’s response rate to the warning letter is much higher than in a similar program in L. A., Riverside and Orange counties. There the response rate is 50%, said Bruce Collins of the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Diamond Bar.

By ignoring these warning letters, our southern neighbors provide a macabre form of theater for their fellow drivers. “People applaud the cops when they pull over a smoking vehicle,” Collins said.

Additionally, Collins points out an anomaly in the smog law. “When you have your car smog checked it’s possible for it to pass even if it’s smoking. And an apparently clean, non-smoking car may fail.” This is because the state-mandated inspection process is looking for a specific list of harmful emissions, and oil smoke per se isn’t on the list.

Rather than gnash your teeth over that, consider getting your car tuned up in addition calling the 800 smog line. That’s the thing that keeps cars in condition to pass smog inspections. If you nip by one of those quick tune-up services today or tomorrow, you’ll save gas and cut smog on your Fourth of July excursion.

* FYI

Before your holiday trip, if you have a smoking car get it repaired. It may involve only an adjustment of your carburetor, timing or replacement of the air filter. And once you’re on the road, if you see a smoking car, jot down its license plate number and call 800-559-SMOG to alert Ventura County officials. There is a statewide 800 number too: 800-CUT--SMOG.