BURRRRR! Is It Illegal To Warm Up Your Car In Michigan?
BURRRRR!
In my personal opinion, it officially feels like winter. Forget the fall season!
Since it is ridiculously cold outside and only going to get worse, before you go out and warm up your car, find out whether you can or cannot in Michigan.
Is It Legal To Warm Your Car On A Cold Day in Michigan?
Well, it is a simple yet complicated answer.
It really depends on where you leave the car running, at least that is what UpMatters says.
"It all depends on where you leave the vehicle running. Before the summer of 2017, Michigan vehicle owners were ticketed for leaving their vehicles unattended unless they locked the doors and used a remote start, even if their cars were sitting in the driveway."
The law received more attention in 2017 after a man in Roseville, Nick Taylor, received a ticket for warming up his car unattended in his driveway.
Roughly a month later, Muskegon police announced that they would be ticketing unattended idling vehicles that were parked in private driveways in order to avoid car thefts.
Yikes!
It makes sense because, in 2018, Dearborn police shared that there were multiple reports of vehicles stolen after cars were left unattended in driveways.
So, you can definitely warm your car up in your driveway. But, there is a potential of your car being stolen.
However, if you are warming up your car on a private road or a parking lot unattended, then you will definitely get into some trouble.
So all in all, just warm your car up in your driveway. Simple!
12 Tips to Prepare Your Vehicle for a Michigan Winter
Gallery Credit: Maitlynn Mossolle