Wash it. Change the oil. Common sense.

So common, car care is often the last thing Labor Day travelers think about before they hit the road. That is, if they remember at all.

The Shelby County Health Department is advising people, especially those with breathing disorders, to spend as little time as possible outside on Wednesday due to poor air quality.

The health department has issued a Code Orange Ozone Advisory. The alerts are issued when “the ozone levels are forecast to exceed the 8-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standards,” according to health department officials.

Here are some tips to help reduce ozone levels from the health department:

• Refuel cars and mowers after 7 p.m.
• Carpool and combine daily errands
• Drive less during peak hours or hot days

To help reduce traffic, rides on MATA busses and trolleys will be 25 cents.

Drivers should go ahead and plan for delays on Interstate 240 this weekend.

Workers will begin repaving the eastbound lanes of I-240 between Bill Morris Pkwy. and Walnut Grove Rd. at 8 p.m. tonight. The Tennessee Department of Transportation says crews will work non-stop until Monday, July 18 at 6 a.m.

And to make things even more difficult, crews will be forced to  periodically close the ramps onto I-240 eastbound from Poplar.

Photo courtesy Flickr user Raymond Brown.