Freezing
The common sense thing to do when its freezing cold outside and there is snow, ice or frost on the windows of the car is to turn on the car and let it warm up while you scrape off the ice and snow that make it difficult for you to see out the windows as you drive. You would think that northern states which experience the low temperatures and snow on an annual basis would make it easier for you to have a warm car that’s clear of snow and ice to use, but that’s not the case at all.
As one of the most unenforced laws, but still a law in most states, it’s illegal to warm your car up before you head out on the road. We know that fuel-injected cars don’t need to be warmed up to drive and you’re better off driving them cold than letting them warm up in the driveway, but these laws don’t discriminate. In many states if you turn the key of your car and let it sit idling for a period of time you can be given a charge and in some cases this is considered to be a misdemeanor.
The reasoning behind these laws is the need to save the environment. Having cars running for longer than necessary is harmful to the environment and continues to put pollutants in the air which end up damaging the air we live in. In some cases this environmental crime can cost you as much as $5,000 while in other areas there are more lenient rules in place, but still some laws are in place to make it illegal for you to idle your car. In some areas, the automatic starting devices that are being added to some cars are even illegal, making them useless to you.
In order to learn more about whether or not you can legally warm up your car when its cold outside you should visit the EPA website and see which states allow you to idle your car and for how long. There is a time limit and in some cases even a temperature restriction to this law. Here are the current states that have at least some law against idling your car:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
In another part of this odd law you also have to scrape all of the ice and snow off your car before heading out for the day. If you don’t, you could be cited for distracted driving. This means you have to head out in the morning, scrape off the ice and snow from your vehicle and then head out in a car that’s still freezing cold when you’re living in these areas. Of course, the benefit is you aren’t distracted when you drive and you’re helping the environment, or at least harming it less than you would if you idled your car before leaving for the day.
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