Map Shows 2 States Where People Are Advised to Avoid 'Driving Alone'

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A map created by Newsweek reveals the two states advising residents against driving alone due to unhealthy air quality.

Over the past few weeks, several states have been impacted by poor air quality, which has worsened as summerlike weather delivered scorching temperatures across multiple regions, most recently the Midwest and Northeast. Thursday marked the official start of summer.

Air quality index (AQI) levels have spurred some officials to advise against certain actions, such as driving alone or gassing up vehicles during daylight hours. On Thursday afternoon, 13 states had air quality alerts in place, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Of those, two states urged drivers to avoid driving solo until air quality levels improved.

"Carpool, if possible, bike, walk or take the bus instead of driving alone," the alert said.

States where drivers told to drive alone — A map created by Newsweek shows the states where residents were advised to avoid driving alone because of poor air quality. Newsweek

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency (RAPCA) in Ohio issued the alerts. A spokesperson from IDEM told Newsweek that environmental officials are not mandating driving habits. Rather, the alert is merely a suggestion.

Newsweek reached out to RAPCA via online contact form for comment on Thursday.

The alerts also provided a list of suggestions until air quality improves, including refueling vehicles after 8 p.m., not idling vehicles—as exhaust contributes to air pollution—and mowing the lawn in the evening hours.

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As of Thursday afternoon, AQI levels across the impacted areas were mostly in the moderate category, according to AirNow, a coalition of the U.S. government and tribal agencies that monitors air quality. The moderate category features air quality levels valued from 51 to 100, in which the air is deemed acceptable, although it could impact some with health sensitivities.

The AQI forecast anticipates levels will become unhealthy for sensitive groups in many of the impacted states throughout Thursday.

Summer temperatures can worsen air quality, and the slew of alerts comes as the Midwest and Northeast experience their first heat wave of the year. The heat index—or the "feels like" temperature—was pushed into the 90s and even into the 100s for some states, prompting NWS meteorologists to issue excessive heat warnings, heat advisories and excessive heat watches across several states.

According to the NWS HeatRisk, a tool documenting heat-related impacts over a 24-hour period, excessive heat is expected to linger in the Midwest and in some Northeastern states through the weekend. Next week, the dangerously hot conditions will shift to the central U.S., with meteorologists forecasting the most widespread heat impacts in Oklahoma and Arkansas.