text: In Paris, France a partial driving ban was put into effect just before the 'City of Love and Romance' reached record breaking pollution levels. The ban states that: "On Monday motorists with even-numbered license plates were ordered to leave their cars at home or suffer a 22-euro fine($31). The same would apply to odd-numbered plates the following days."("Paris bans driving due to smog", Robert Duffer). However, just because there is a law put into affect does not mean that everyone will abide by it. According to Reuters, an international news agency in London, almost 4,000 drivers were fined and 27 people had their vehicles impounded because of their reaction to the fines. It is a shame that people are so unwilling to follow one rule for one day which would help the planet and reduce the pollution in their city. According to Duffer, Paris ,typically, has more smog than other European capitals. When Duffer's article was published he states, "Last week Paris has 147 micrograms of particulate matter(PM) per cubic meter compared with 114 in Brussels and 79.7 in London, Reuters found." Also, in Paris, diesel fuel is used more than gasoline. Diesel engines take more energy to burn the gas which causes more pollution than just normal gasoline. According to Reuters, France has a tax policy that favors diesel over gasoline. In France, as a whole, 67 percent of vehicles have diesel engines. In the rest of Western Europe, about 53 percent of vehicles have diesel engines. The smog that is in the air from the burning gas of your vehicle ends up in your lungs. Imgine just sitting in front of the exhaust pipe of your car for a few seconds(do not actually attempt this analogy) it is overwhelming and unbearable. It is harmful to your lungs and the rest of your body. That pollution is coming out of thousands and thousands of other cars and is adding up to the air all around you. You breath that air every day, just like your family and friends as well. In Paris, after the partial driving ban, on Monday the smog cleared up enough for the French party to take away the ban on the odd-numbered plates on Tuesday, according to Duffer. If the smog in one of the biggest cities in the world can clear up just a little bit in one day from limiting car usage, imagine how much smog could be prevented if you limit your car usage every day. What if you only used your vehicle when traveling out of town or when you need to transport a large item? You can change your whole enviorment just by deciding to walk or ride the bus to work instead of turning on your vehicle to drive 10 miles down the road.