It's becoming illegal to warm up you car in winter

[green73]

Police Promise to Extort, Kidnap, or Lock You in a Cage for Warming Up Your Car


Roeland Park, KS — Recently in a number of US states, police have been writing people tickets for letting their cars warm up in the morning.

Not only are police extorting people for this common practice, but they have also been rummaging through people’s vehicles as a “demonstration” to show them how easily someone could steal their cars or belongings. Ironically the laws are said to be intended to prevent thieves from breaking into cars while the police are doing the job for them instead.

In Roeland Park, violators could face fines of up to $125, and in just a two-hour time span last week, one officer wrote nine tickets to people who had their cars running.

[...]

Sadly, Kansas isn’t the only place with laws against warming up your car, it is also illegal in Texas, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Colorado, Wisconsin, South Carolina, as well as several cities in Minnesota. Other states like Alaska have similar laws, but they are targeted at emissions instead of car thefts.

Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/warming-car-crime/

[ZENemy]

Voting harder will fix this.

[Suzanimal]

They're just trying to "educate" you.

AN IDLING CAR IS A CAR THIEF'S BEST FRIEND - STATE POLICE LAUNCH EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGN

..

Troopers across Maryland will be working to educate drivers that leaving a vehicle running, or with the keys in it, are the quickest ways to have it stolen. Leaving a vehicle unoccupied with the engine running is also illegal. Violators fortunate enough to find their vehicle still there when they return, just might find a state trooper waiting to issue a citation that carries a fine of $70 and one point. Maryland motor vehicle law states that before a person driving a motor vehicle may leave it unattended, he or she must stop the engine, lock the ignition, remove the key, and set the parking brake.

...

https://www.mdsp.org/Media/PressRele...4/Default.aspx

[specsaregood]

They're just trying to "educate" you.

I wonder if police are exempt from that law.

[Suzanimal]

I wonder if police are exempt from that law.

Of course!!! As a matter of fact, the only cars I ever see left running (outside of someones driveway) are cop cars.

[dannno]

Of course!!! As a matter of fact, the only cars I ever see left running (outside of someones driveway) are cop cars.

If you listen really close to an idling cop car, you can hear a recording at really low volume playing over and over "Go ahead - Take me - I dare you."

[donnay]

Hmm...does that apply to people who have remote car starters to warm up their car?

[Ronin Truth]

This legislation brought to you courtesy of the Heated Garage Construction Lobby.

[Xenliad]

I believe I'll take my chances with the thieves.

[oyarde]

I warm up the F150 as much as twenty minutes sometimes in dead of winter. I will be paying no tickets , all out of bubblegum and spare change . Spent it all on tomahawks and buckshot .

[oyarde]

Who uses a parking brake ?

[phill4paul]

Hmm...does that apply to people who have remote car starters to warm up their car?

I wonder too. The ole ladies new Subaru has a remote start. Even if it is unlocked when warming (or cooling) the engine will shut off when the door is opened.

[dannno]

I wonder too. The ole ladies new Subaru has a remote start. Even if it is unlocked when warming (or cooling) the engine will shut off when the door is opened.

I knew it was only a matter of time before you posted in this thread...

[jbauer]

Who uses a parking brake ?

Thats what I was thinking. I've never, not once (except to change oil on ramps) set the parking brake on an automatic vehicle.

I've also, never parked a standard transmission in neutral, I always always always put it in gear.

[phill4paul]

I knew it was only a matter of time before you posted in this thread...

Lol. Why's that?

[dannno]

Lol. Why's that?

I've heard Filipinos are pretty obsessive over their car warm ups.

[specsaregood]

Of course!!! As a matter of fact, the only cars I ever see left running (outside of someones driveway) are cop cars.

I'd wager the cop writing these tickets left his car idling the entire freaking time.

If I got a ticket for this, it might just be the type of thing that made me go all Roadwork on their asses.

[Acala]

It's not like the cops lift a finger trying to catch car thieves. This must just be to try to improve the city's car theft stats without actually trying to catch thieves. Much easier to penalize the innocent than catch the guilty.

[Matt Collins]

It is illegal to do in Nashville too (since the city sits in a bowl they have serious air quality issues).

[Matt Collins]

Voting harder will fix this.

Actually it will... voters must mobilize and put pressure on the members of the city council to change this law. Then they must follow up by taking the elected officials out of office during the next election for voting against it.

[69360]

No laws like that here in Maine. They would have to arrest the whole state.

It was -1 this morning, you can't just drive away in a car when it's that cold, beside the comfort issue, it barely goes.

I let mine warm up about 20 mins usually.

Also the keys are in it right now and I have no worries about thievery.

[amy31416]

Who uses a parking brake ?

People who have manual shift cars.

[juleswin]

I do mine the old fashioned way, I start my car with my main key and lock the doors with the spare.

Also I use my hand aka park breaks all the time. My parents thought me to always put it up when you parked and even though I never understood why, I have been doing it ever since. I guess old habits die hard

[jllundqu]

Hmm...does that apply to people who have remote car starters to warm up their car?

My thoughts

[muh_roads]

People should go sit at the police stations and do the same thing when they leave their cars running.

[Keith and stuff]

I let mine warm up about 20 mins usually.

You can't be serious. 20 min? Sometimes I let mine run for 1-2 min in NH. That is more than enough. Why 20 min?

[amy31416]

No laws like that here in Maine. They would have to arrest the whole state.

It was -1 this morning, you can't just drive away in a car when it's that cold, beside the comfort issue, it barely goes.

I let mine warm up about 20 mins usually.

Also the keys are in it right now and I have no worries about thievery.

My battery discharges quickly, so I let it run for a while too. I hear that they have these nifty plug-in devices up in Canada that keep your battery charged--I might have to look into that.

[Keith and stuff]

My battery discharges quickly, so I let it run for a while too. I hear that they have these nifty plug-in devices up in Canada that keep your battery charged--I might have to look into that.

That's more common in the US. Check the 30 most northern states. Check from OK and NE to VT and ME.

[TomKat]

I have always and will always warm up my truck before I drive whether it is cold out or not because every mechanic I know and trust has recommended it for any vehicle. They have said that it is because your vehicle is sitting and you need to get the oil pumping back into the engine and to remove any condensation anywhere. Just for fun I just googled it and there are tons of articles about how horrible it is for your vehicle. Some even suggested that idling your car will damage it. WTF? That's like saying that putting water in the bathtub will destroy the tub.

Anyway, they all just point to how bad it is for the environment (except the ones that say it will damage your car). They best "proof" so far was an "ask a mechanic" page that just said that warming up does nothing to help the vehicle and then point back at the "bad for the environment" arguement and suggest not to do it and instead drive slow to warm it up.

They may be correct that it is not needed because modern vehicles are made different from back when this was what every mechanic would say but I still would think that you would want your vehicle to at least return to idle after starting before putting it into gear and driving off and yet not one site has even said that. Any real mechanics have an opinion on any of this? (I am not a mechanic, I have just changed engines, rebuilt transmissions, and just about every other part that you might have to replace and my last five vehicles have only been to the mechanic when the tool I needed far outweighed the cost of their labor)

Oh and google "warm up car before driving" and you can get some of what I am talking about. I am still going through them to see if I can even find one that says you should.

[TomKat]

I do mine the old fashioned way, I start my car with my main key and lock the doors with the spare.

Also I use my hand aka park breaks all the time. My parents thought me to always put it up when you parked and even though I never understood why, I have been doing it ever since. I guess old habits die hard

Same here and I drive an automatic. I put on the brake in neutral and let off of the brake and then put it into park just to take the strain off the transmission. Plus I hate that loud clunk sound when you don't do it and park on a hill.