Are you a lawbreaker? If you turn on your car to warm up and then run back inside, you're breaking the law.

Now that the cold and snow has returned to Central New York, I'll admit, I prefer to let my car warm up in the driveway rather than stand out there in the cold scraping, and then freezing when I finally have to head to work. I had no idea I was breaking the law - but I am.

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Sounds crazy, right? Nope, that's the law.

Specifically, the New York State law says "No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key from the vehicle, and effectively setting the brake..." If you turn your car on, and then stand there brushing off the snow, that's okay, because your car is attended.

Credit: http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us
Credit: http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us
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What about remote car starters? Those are okay because they don't involve a key, and the car can't be driven away without the key in place (or in the vehicle.)

Personally, we don't know anyone who has actually gotten a ticket for this - but maybe you do?

 

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