Is it legal to let your unattended car warm up in PA’s cold weather? What the law says
Frigid temperatures and winter weather have returned to central Pennsylvania to begin 2024 following an unusually warm and dry December.
Of course, sub-zero wind chills and sheets of ice on your windshield can make your morning commute a bit more miserable than usual throughout the winter. The whole process might be distasteful enough to make you start your car, crank the heat and retreat indoors for a warm cup of coffee as you wait to defrost your vehicle.
However, is leaving your idle car unattended legal in Pennsylvania? Here’s what you need to know if you plan on starting your vehicle and walking away.
What does PA law say about leaving your idle car unattended?
Under Pennsylvania law, it’s perfectly legal to leave your idle car unattended in your private driveway.
“If you don’t have a driveway, or your vehicle is parked on public property, leaving it running and unattended is illegal,” the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation wrote online in a 2018 post. “Even if you do leave it unattended in your driveway, make sure it’s locked. The state police have had multiple reports across the state of vehicles being stolen while left idling.”
Pennsylvania law specifies leaving a car idle while parked on the street is illegal. The statute (Title 75, Section 3701) says those who violate this regulation can be ticketed and risk a summary offense, punishable by a $5 fine and, potentially, additional court costs.
The law reads: “No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit the vehicle to stand unattended without placing the gear shift lever in a position which, under the circumstances, impedes the movement of the vehicle, stopping the engine, locking the ignition in vehicles so equipped, removing the key from the ignition and, when standing upon any grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway and effectively setting the brake.”
Police departments throughout the commonwealth warn leaving a car idle could open the door for an opportunistic thief to drive off with it. Those who choose to leave their car idling during the winter months should make sure to lock the vehicle’s doors and keep an extra set of keys available.
Safe winter driving in Pennsylvania
The PennDOT says all drivers should eliminate unnecessary travel if winter weather is in the forecast. However, those who must hit the road should try to keep the following safety tips in mind:
- Always listen to weather and travel advisories. If you don’t need to travel in bad weather, stay home.
- Keep your gas tank at least half full.
- Beware of roads that look wet but are frozen. This is sometimes called “black ice.”
- Use extra caution on ramps and bridges, where ice can form more easily without warning.
- Be sure to keep a cell phone on your person and a winter emergency travel kit in your car.
- Avoid sudden stops and starts, and be sure to slow down and increase your following distance from other vehicles.
- Keep your headlights on if your wipers are on. Additionally, use your low beams in bad weather, especially when snow is heavy or blowing due to strong winds.
- Do not park or abandon your vehicle on a snow emergency route.
- Do not pass or merge between trucks in a plowing line (such as several trucks plowing side by side).
- Make sure someone else knows where you are going and when you are expected to arrive. Someone will know to look for you if you run into an emergency or need help.
- If you do become stranded, stay with your vehicle until help arrives. Keep your tailpipe clear and run the engine every hour or so.
PennDOT maintains several guides regarding winter driving and safety on its website. There, you can browse several brochures, diagrams and fact sheets that can help keep you safe on the roads this winter.
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