Warming up your car is illegal in Ohio.
via the Ohio Revised Code,
In other words, anyone who leaves a running vehicle unattended, even if he or she is just stepping away while it warms up, can be charged with a misdemeanor and a $150 fine for omitting to stop the engine, lock the ignition, and remove the keys (emergency vehicles exempt).
It also states the parking brake must be set (does anyone really do this?) and the wheels must be turned to the curb if the vehicle is left on a grade.
Since the law does not specifically exclude private property from this statute, you can be cited for leaving the car running in your very own driveway.
The folks from the Ohio Insurance Institute reckon the law’s been put into place to deter thievery, though environmental issues are another speculated concern.
Regardless, of rational, it’s bogus that we have either have to A) wait in or next to our cold cars while they warm up or B) drive our cars cold, especially since northeast Ohio winters are particularly frigid.
Based on the wording of the statute, it’s unclear whether drivers of vehicles with Autostart would be are exempt from charges since their motor start is keyless.
The law remains in effect until 2017.
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2013.
Another way for a cop who desperately needs to reach his monthly quota can crank out a couple tickets around 5 am in residential areas.
Well, considering autostart doesn’t require keys (thus there wouldn’t be any in the ignition) and the ignition is locked (without keys inserted) the only issue would be the engine running.
Two-thirds of the autostart equipped vehicles would be within the law (based on the above article).
Wow, my phone chopped up that second half…meant to say that autostart equipped vehicles would be in compliance with two of the three requirements stated within the above.
Does anyone actually know of someone cited? It would appear the law has been in effect for nearly a decade. Slow news week?
Ugh yes bogus. It’s also bogus that. 22% of black children in the east side if cleveland have asthma and that 8% have to be hospitalized. Also bogus that air pollution takes an average if a year off everyone’s life in ne Ohio.
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.
Walt Disney Via Brainyquotes
Change the universe.
everybody is somebody.
On the other hand, cars warm up quicker when you drive them, modern cars warm up in a matter of minutes when being driven, and leaving your car running while it’s cold is bad for your engine. Not to say this statute is reasonable, but nonetheless… Just some random facts for you.
The wording of the statue? Really? LOL
That being said, if it’s to deter thieves, it’s kind of the risk you take if you leave your car running and unlocked. Also, it’s perfectly possible to have the key in the car and take off the remote access and leave the key in the ignition with the door locked. Also, some models will keep running and allow you to completely remove the key.
From an environmental standpoint, I’m far more worried about emissions from factories than the few extra minutes people leave their car running to get into a warmer car as opposed to a colder one.
I also kind of doubt this is really enforced, so it’s probably kind of a moot point anyway.
If you do even the slightest amount of research, you will see that leaving your car idling in order to warm it up is a very bad idea – both for the health of your engine and for the environment. Idling while the engine is cold promotes excess fuel in the mixture which is absorbed by the oil and can then damage other internal engine components, especially seals and gaskets.
@Schmange19, you’re not really trying to blame people spending 5-10 minutes in the morning on people running their cars, are you? Especially in east side of cleveland where the steel mills are? I worked for American Lung Association for about a year. Asthma can be caused by a lot of different things, not just air pollution. Genetics is a huge factor, along with respiratory infections during childhood, and yes, airborne pathogens. But don’t go blaming cars on everything. Sure, it may not help, but it’s not the primary cause. If something should be legislated, it’s the factories. Oh, but factories bring in more money for the people who make the laws, so that won’t happen.
So I can get a ticket if I leave my vehicle and don’t “effectively set the parking brake”? Good thing this rule also applies to emergency & utility vehicles too!
I think the law is mostly focused on safety and less about theft. Take for instance the case appearing at the beginning of page 6 of this PDF: http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/pdf_viewer/pdf_viewer.aspx?pdf=730589.pdf
A car that wasn’t in park and didn’t have its emergency brake engaged rolled over a man when the ignition suddenly turned over.
This all being said… has anyone ever heard of someone getting a ticket while they warmed up their car in the winter?
People didn’t know this? Know the laws, people. You can break ’em as you please, but at least know them.
I’m not sure if this was published for the “Did you know? / Some law are really strange, aren’t they?” factor, or to gin up some anger among the folks who think that Greenpeace wields enormous influence with Ohio’s extremely liberal lawmakers. In either case, it wasn’t necessary. To compile the facts…
1. The car will warm up faster if actually DRIVEN.
2. It’s bad for your engine if you let it idle for more than 30 secs. or so in cold weather (99% sure I heard this verified by the Car Talk guys once… but that WAS on liberally-biased NPR, so watch out, people – it’s a conspiracy to get you save gas/money!).
3. If it’s really cold out you should be wearing winter outerwear anyway – cars do fail (e.g., stall out completely/hopelessly) from time to time. Unless it’s exceptionally cold (I’m thinking colder than -10F for most of us… but sure, we can/should cut more slack for the elderly), I doubt that most drivers really NEED to warm up their cars. However, those who don’t have garages often have to take the time (sometimes a LOT of time) to thoroughly scrape off the ice and snow, and running your defrost helps with this, so that seems to be a legit reason (so, more slack should be afforded to the less wealthy folks who don’t have garages). Heating your garage is an absurd and ridiculous luxury. People freeze to death on the streets while you keep your CARS warm at night – seriously?
4. Asthma is becoming more and more of a problem for kids (and, hello Klan fans, not just black kids!), and if thousands (millions) of people eliminate (or cut back on) warming up their cars, it’s surely not going to hurt those people who enjoy breathing. We should still make factories run cleaner, too (and yes, that should be a HIGHER priority).
5. Global warming IS real, unfortunately, and the more we all run our engines, the more we’re shooting ourselves in the collective (not talking Communism here, just saying that we all do live together in civilization/society… cities!) foot. Put one less hole in your/our foot.
6. If humanity survives that long (and perhaps it won’t if Modern Man sees giving up the preheating of their vehicles as an intolerable sacrifice/going back to the horrific dark ages – are we really THAT soft?), the oil won’t last forever. Save some for actually driving (ok, don’t think about driving to work – think about driving to Cedar Point/the beach, your loved ones, etc.).
It has nothing to do with environment. Many, many, many cars are stolen when left running. Not just warming up. People will leave their cars running at the gas pump (also illegal) go inside to pay and she gone! Fun fact #2 you leave your keys in the car, YOU are responsible for any damage the thief dose.
Seriously? “Based on the wording of the statue?” idiots….
Driving a cold engine is bad for the engine and emissions. A cold engine has oval shaped pistons that can wear the cylinders at more than idle rpm. Also engines run rich cold, so driving while could uses more fuel than idling cold.
Wait, so does this apply if you have a remote car starter?
Letting a car warm up isn’t bad for your engine! Driving it while the engine is still cold is bad
@Nick Brown. That is completely incorrect. Oval pistons? No they do not. In fact they would me slightly smaller than the bore of the cylinder to allow for expansion as the engine components get to operating temperature. Engines are designed to operate at operating temperature, not cold temperatures. So the warm up process should happen as quickly as possible, hence the stringent emission regulations put upon automakers. The cold start process is something that the EPA has tried to curb extensively (E-CATS, Heated Oxygen Sensors,etc). The cold start process has been designed to be shorter and shorter with new regulations to curb the amount of fuel wasted in the warm up process. Starting a cold engine takes a lot of fuel, and that consumption adds up.
This is just dumb… B/c I should drive my car with ice and frost when you cant see anything,whoever said it isnt that cold in Ohio is freaking crazzzzyyyy lol and only the poor should have the right to cold start, obviously I know what class you fall in.
Any Mechanic worth his salt will tell you to ALWAYS warm your car up before you take off. It only stands to reason, in the winter, it needs just a little longer. I don’t mean a half hour, but a little longer. If it’s not warmed up to par, you ARE damaging your vehicle. The law is to cover both theft and environment issues. Trouble is, You’re not really adding that much to the environment in a few minutes or wasting any real amount of fuel, that’s nonsense. If you are worried about every trickle into the environment, maybe you shouldn’t be using one at all or at least not for vacations, visiting friends or anything else not absolutely detrimental to your life. Also, as for the theft part, if you lost your vehicle because of leaving it running, you not only won’t be compensated from insurance, but can be in trouble for whatever happens with that vehicle because they couldn’t have taken it as easily if you hadn’t left it running unattended. Yes, this law IS enforced at times. I had a cop steal my car keys from my ignition when I left it running in the winter to warm it and that was about twenty some years ago.
@Bill McGillicutty
Is it important to idle my vehicle for a few minutes to warm up the engine, especially in winter?
No. Although this is a common practice among motorists, it’s also wasteful and damages the environment. Tests show that you need no more than 30 seconds of idling to circulate the engine oil before you can drive away on cold days. Anything more just wastes money and produces needless greenhouse gas emissions. Remember, more than the engine needs to be warmed – so do the tires, transmission, wheel bearings and other moving parts. As well, the catalytic converter doesn’t function at its peak until it reaches between 400°C and 800°C. The best way to warm the engine and all other components is to drive your vehicle.
soooooo hows remote start fit in on this? 1 the doors will be locked (unless some second rate store put it on), and 2 if you try to take the car without the keys its useless. sounds like id have fun toying with the cops in court over this.
@anthony french
ok, so you obviously havent learned the effects of cold weather on moving parts. see when you make something room temperature cold, it ‘shrinks’ in size, such as pistons, valve train parts, crankshaft, piston rods and bearings. and they shrink differently depending on size. so when you cold start a car, the block being so big doesnt shrink as much as the pistons do, causes the pistons to have a ‘slapping’ effect on the cylinder walls.valves wont have as good of seals since they shrink overall size, and rockers, or cams and cam bearings will shrink causing some ‘freeplay’. if you rev that thing up driving down the road…… well lets just let you imagine what it could do. so no thanks, if i ever get back up to ohio ill be glad to take this to court.
The fact of the matter is I can be charged for something that is supposed to deter thieves, how about you just don’t steal a car. Poor criminal got enticed by a running car, how about if you didn’t pay for it don’t take it. Fucking America
Wow What in the world! Just absolutely Crazy!!!!
Almost every state has this law on the books. Just google it, examples using the same wording pop up all over.
Some cars don’t allow you to use the remote entry while the key is in the ignition. You would have to test it first & maybe need to use the spare key instead. Also, I don’t believe the cops go around looking for unattended running cars but may take action if there’s a problem.
I have auto start and will continue to use it.I have COPD and cannot get into a cold vehicle and be able to breathe
Soooo wrong to drive a cold vehicle.
You guys are all idiots, including the author of this article. Clearly none of you have ever done a contextual analysis before. The code in question is 4511.661, which is a sub-section under 4511.66. If you read 4511.66, it’s about parking on the highway. Also, it clearly states turning your wheel toward the curb of the HIGHWAY. The whole section is not about pollution, it’s just saying you can’t leave a car running, unattended on the highway, not residential neighborhoods.
For those who also say you need to immediately drive the vehicle, do you not realize that you can crack the block and that will screw your motor? But it’s reasonable to pay to replace your motor everytime you run a cold car too many times in a row than to spend maybe an extra $10 a month for maybe a tops of four months with Ohio winter for “wasted” fuel?? Sure makes a lot of sense to me..NOT!
I got a verbal warning once at a McDonalds in Marysville, OH by a local police officer patrolling the parking lot.
haha.. “car people”… coming from a diesel tech in ohio trust me… I would much rather my engine “warm up” at 700 rpm than hop in a cold ass car and drive down the road and get in excess of 3000 rpm and continue to ruin my engine day by day… you wouldn’t believe how many trucks and cars I’ve seen destroyed because of NOT letting them warm up. and getting in a cold car in which the engine oil is thicker and have no oil pressure when im starting to rev my engine. GREAT IDEA! maybe you should take a simple engine course… then you will realize that it takes longer for oil pressure to build during cold weather than warm weather. google what happens to an engine without oil pressure when you rev it up… yeah I agree with “armymedic” ill GLADLY take this to court and beat it.
You people saying that its hard on engines to let them idle when cold don’t know anything. Its hard on them to immediately drive them after starting them. Especially diesels.
I read these and no one mentioned diesels diesel run off heat as they have no spark plugs main source of combustion is severe compression till a explotion on inside the cylinder of the engine this is y u have wait to start lights to heat the air either by glow plugs or induction heater and with any engine gas or diesel being cold the metal is shrunk a very little but do to cold depending on engine mileage u can get piston slapping in the cylinder wall witch is harsh damage there for it help motor longevity proven poing I own a 2001 ford 7.3 diesel with 520,000 miles on it with no issues
Wow this is so stupid .that’s why so many people get sick .
I love ignorance, its very entertaining. I am an ASE Master Technician and Nissan Master Technician with 20 years experience. Driving any gasoline vehicle, made after 1976, below operating temperature is extremely harmful to the environment. All these vehicle have 1-6 Catalytic Converters, 1-4 Heated Oxygen or Air/Fuel Sensors and 1-2 Mass Air Flow Sensors. Mass Air Flow measures amount air entering engine with a wire that is heated by electric and cooled by air passing over wire. Both O2 and Air/Fuel sensors have warm before they can correctly measure amount of Oxygen in exhaust, which in turn determine correct air to fuel for Stoichiometric Ratio. The Catalytic Converter, most important, MUST be warmed to extract and separate and store unburned Oxygen and HydroCarbons, combine Oxygen molecules to separated Carbons (from HydroCarbons) to make water and expel the Hydrogen molecules (harmless once separated) to environment. This is aside from damage to seals and gaskets caused by excess oil pressure caused by low oil temperatures. This is also separate from damage to Automatic Transmissions which also are hydraulic and affected by high pressure from cold fluid. A modern fuel injected (almost any made after 1988) first started on cold morning, running at idle in park, is controlled by the ECM (engine control model) set to preset specs programmed by manufacturer using ambient temp., barometric pressure, fuel temp, fuel pressure, intake air temp. atmospheric pressure, etc. to determine perfect air fuel ratio until operating temp is reached. The ECM cannot control anything when accelerator pedal is pressed outside of fuel mapping versus air flow measured at intake which it needs Oxygen Air/Fuel sensors to accurately perform. Point of this essay, if you care for your car or the environment, warm your car to operating temp. as stated by your owners manual. P.S. I didn’t even touch the EVAP (fuel Evaporation system) system.
By the way, cold engine driving pump unburned Gasoline onto Catalytic Converter element Causing damage and deterioration. Properly maintained cars built after 1998 take about 6-8 minutes to reach operating temp. at idle. The heater will not necessarily be warm enough to melt ice/snow from windshield or warm your seat up, so use your scraper and pop for the heated seats next time. Please do not use my info to fool yourself into letting your car run until all ice/snow had melted or to put all of your makeup on. Take care of your car and grease monkeys like me would not make 95k per year. Plant some Carbon Dioxide breathing plants and tree if you want to reduce CO2 levels.
Ohio can kiss my ass, I drive two diesel pickups, try drivin away in one in 30 degree weather without warming it up see how fast u go, besides in this democracy I didn’t recall voting on this
Dear Alaina Mcconnell:
It’s spelled, “s-t-a-t-u-T-e,” NOT “statue.” Sheesh.
That is not the law. That is just one section of the law that pertains to vehicles parked on the road that may cause or hinder the flow of traffic on a paved part of a highway. Does not apply to private property!
well, time to play smartass with the cops and get an engine block heater
as a mechanic, i can say, your best bet to stay both legal and warm is an engine block heater, you simply plug it in to an electrical outlet, it keeps the coolant in your block warm via electromagnetic energy, therefore, you do not have to let it sit and idle, you have instant heat, and the joy of pissing off the pigs
Well government and development is whats to blame….People use up all our resources but dont replenish them…What did people think would happen after taking all of Earths natural resources for their own personal uses…they were greedy and selfish, they didnt think about the outcome it would have brought to the world…they just kept taking and are still trying but yet they dont replenish what they use up, its sad and the world itself especially the higher ups are to blame…JS …SAVETHEPOLARBEARS<3<3
So what would you guys suggest for parents with young children who are in carseats? Either A) let them sit in a cold car with no winter jacket on? Or B) put a winter jacket on them and even forbid you were to be in an accident have to pay the price of them being thrown around like a rag doll bc their straps aren’t as tight as needed?
Wow,,,,, this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard,,, lol So if you have kids, they have to be put into a freezing car???? I don’t think so !!!!!! Especially a brand new baby !! Don’t know who ever made up this crazy law but they were not thinking straight. Further more its really bad on your car to run a cold engine,,, you have to warm it up and I’ll be damn if i’m gonna set in a freezing car till it worms up,,,,,,, get a life a$$ holes my car will be warmed up before Me or any children get into it to go anywhere.
Deter thievery. Impossible. If someone wants to steal a car they will no matter what. Now this law is going to make it so an innocent person might get stabbed or shot or beaten cuz someone wants to steal the car. I have a remote start I can start it while locked. But I bet I would still get a ticket regardless. Government just wants money. And the people who sell remote starts. Like best buy or even small local car audio n audio accessory business or going to get hurt by this law. I’m always guna warm my car up let them fine me!!!
i bet this never get anywhere even cops warm up there car sp dont worry about it
My aunt called this morning to say a Cleveland cop came up to her in her driveway and informed her that he could give her a ticket for having her car idle in the driveway. I think Cleveland has much more important things to do than hassle people who are in their own driveway.
Leaving your car unattended while warming up is not what this law is stating 4511.66 is a law stating you are prohibited from parking on a highway in the way of traffic. 4511.661 is in addition to that law. So in essence you cannot park your car on a highway in the way of traffic and leave your car running and run in to a business or residence. It has nothing to do with detouring thieves or helping the environment. It is to keep the roadways moving.
Let them come get me. I’m warming it up for 2 or 3 min. Cold weather idling is bad for your engine??? What about sitting at a 2 minute stop light? Yes, they exist. Ok, everyone, whenever there is a chance of idling for more than 30 seconds while driving, turn off your engine then re-start it and see how that works for you. As for the environment, an engine running at its designed operating temperature is more efficient than one too cold or too hot, so that blows that argument. This is ridiculous
First world problems galore.
considering that all vehicles consume more fuel when cold( computers adjust air/fuel mixture in open loop mode until at operating temp) they can’t exactly weigh in an environmental aspect .a vehicle driving down the road cold, will produce more pollutants, than a vehicle driving down the road at operating temperature. maybe these lawmakers should do their research.
So you are suppose to have your car freezing cold when you have babies, toddlers, or older children when you put them in the car and drive while they are shivering waiting for the car to heat up? Do they think about that? Obviously not. Air is being polluted while cars are being driven, and when big rigs or trucks blow black smoke out. So really what’s the difference leaving your car sit to heat up? If you live in a neighborhood, don’t leave your car unattended, stand where you can see it. or lock the doors and use spare key to unlock the doors. I don’t know. I don’t live in Ohio, so hopefully this law doesn’t take affect in any other states. Still, the law is try to protect from car thieves, but they can also break a window and hot wire the car.. But you have more time to catch them on that.
You can warm it up if you are still in it. It can’t be unattended is the law!!
Why is the government telling us what is good for us !
Just one more stupid law…and they can’t even pass a common sense law to protect animals from abusive trainers and neglectful owners. Oy Vey!
I am baffled both by this column and by many of the comments. The law is likely aimed at safety concerns, mainly because lawmakers don’t all understand everything there is to understand about automotive and/or mechanical things. Parked semi trucks are required to have their wheels chocked, even though air brakes have, sine the 1970’s worked such that a lack of air applies the brakes. People do, however do things like forgetting to put their vehicle in park (if automatic), or apply the parking brake (if manual), and therefore it became necessary to make a law to require such things in the name of Safety. (This, despite the fact that it was already illegal to be negligent with a motor vehicle.)
Especially with newer cars, letting your car idle to warm up is not exactly necessary. However, the first several minutes of driving should be done gently. Letting a car idle for a long period of time does often allow excess fuel to enter the oil, thereby reducing the lubricity of the engine’s oil. That said, idling for a few minutes is not really harmful, and will contribute to somewhat reduced emissions if the vehicle has the opportunity to get out of “open loop” before being driven. Additionally, allowing a vehicle to be fully defrosted and defogged before driving is a significant safety factor. Depending on conditions, there are occasions in which no amount of scraping is going to completely clear the driver’s view. Getting into a cold vehicle with a warm body and warm breath can contribute significantly to window fogging as well. Therefore, there are legitimate safety concerns for warming up a vehicle that apply to everyone, not just the elderly. This, not to mention small children who should not be buckled into car seats in bulky outerwear, and therefore should be placed in an already warm vehicle as often as possible.
In some instances, when the driver will be out of the car for only a few minutes, it makes good sense to just leave the car running. Not stopping and starting the car a zillion times can reduce some wear on the engine, as well as save a small amount of emissions since the vehicle will start in open loop every time. Of course, the inverse is true for idling long periods of time, which will increase emissions as well as engine wear. When it is extremely cold, say anytime when the wisest course would be to remain inside but cannot, it is often wise to leave a vehicle running so as to avoid the possibility that it might not restart. This is especially true if there is any indication that there is a problem with the vehicle’s charging system or the battery is having a hard time meeting the demands of starting. Clearly, the best thing to do in such a situation is have the vehicle repaired, but there are times when this situation may occur without an opportunity for repair, and in such instance, for human safety, the best course is to leave the vehicle running when possible.
Of course, all situations involving vehicles, idling, and cold weather require common sense and a little bit of true knowledge about how your vehicle works. No law can account for every scenario, nor consider the realities of current, ever-changing technology. It makes the best sense to take the course of action which provides the safest, and most sustainable result. This choice will vary for every situation.
My car is not so new…and it does not drive well while cold. I drove my other car instantly without warming…and my head gaskets are blown. Mechanic says its essential to warm your vehicle because it causes trouble to the engine.
What the hell are they doing if someone is stuck in traffic and you are sitting idle… Or if you are picking up a child in the pick up lines at school? Idiot law.. They seriously have nothingto do their time apparently!
I guess ill be braking the law every morning!! I thought we the people had a say thing like MAKING LAWS!! When you start making my car payment and want to pay for the repairs for not warming it up then you have a say until then SHUT THE HELL UP THIS IS REDICULOUS!!
Did anyone look at the part that states this was passed in 2004? By my count that’s 9 years ago, and has anyone heard of or know anyone who has gotten a ticket for this? Seems to me most likely it IS to deter people from stealing your car, or a possible situation where the car might come out of park and injure someone, for example a child could enter car and hurt themselves or others.
Ok seriously…..has Anyone gotten a ticket for having a running unattended car in their driveway? ANYONE? If you leave your car running unattended anywhere else ,like a road or parking lot then you SHOULD get a ticket and your car towed for being a friggin dumbass…
What a bunch of stupid aholes. Has anyone of you gotten a ticket for warming up your car in your own driveway? Or apt./condo parking lot? ANYONE? If you leave your running car unattended on the street or public parking lot you deserve to have your car ticketed AND towed for being a friggin dumbass. And you diesel truck drivers…you need ticketed for leaving your trucks running in a residential area. Who wants to listen to that shit all night… Whiney sons a bitches.
Today I was leaving and our building security told me that the Cleveland Police told them to warn me that if my car is started again and I’m not in it I would receive a ticket. I had never heard of such a silly thing. I took myself to the local police department to ask. I was advised that there is “traffic police” that all they are doing is driving around looking for things like start cars. I said this us sad that there’s so many things the police should focus on and a start car should not be one of them. The car was parked in a private parking lot and there was no key in the ignition.
This is ridiculous
So, people with serious circulatory disorders like Raynaud’s phemonenon? Who struggle in the winter anyway? What are they supposed to do? And don’t say, “that’s just too few people to worry about.” It’s more than you’d think, and it’s cruel to disregard the fact that a silly law like this would create health risks and, at the very least, extreme pain and discomfort for any individual. There needs to be a provision for medical exemption.
hahahahahaha that is bogus!!!! I was told by a police officer that they CANNOT cite you on private property. When I was involved in a car accident a few years ago in a walmart parking lot, the guy with expired plates who hit me could NOT be cited for neither “causing the accident itself” OR for the “expired plates” by the officer because it happened on private property. All the officer could do was give him a verbal warning letting him know that there was no promise he wouldn’t get pulled over for expired plates once he left the premises. SO…….how does this work again???
So.. this sounds like truck drivers parked along the highway for the night need to freeze in the winter now? Or school buses waiting for riders to assemble, etc can now be cited? Hmm…
These pigs..can take that $150 ticket ..turn that s.o.b. sideways & shove it straight up there ass..!!
How many people remember the 8 Shot Ring caps for cap guns you can get @ CVS Rite aid marks or Walgreens in the kids toy aisle
if you take 8 shot ring caps and hit them with a hammer On ground its. Ok
But if you fire them from the cap gun the cops can ticket you $150- 200 dollars
For discharging a firearm
Where does Chris Ski (sorry can’t remember how to spell your name) get the FACT that warming your car is “bad for the engine” I’m pretty sure it’s the other way round Chris!! In FACT I’m positive!!!
how stupid what will they think of next i tell ya!!!
Because there aren’t enough things that motorists can be pulled over or ticketed for already. What jerks came up with this law, the people in Lindale?
There’s only room in my teensy garage for my wife’s much newer vehicle, so when I warm up my car it’s out on the driveway or on the street and needs to be cleared of snow and ice. So if it warms up with the defroster and heater running, to make it easier to clean it off, I’m either scraping it or shoveling off my sidewalks and driveway.
It’s always in sight. And these shmucks think that deserves a ticket? Bullshit!
Like the garbage police who want to ticket you for “excess set-out” (too much trash) or “failure to recycle”…or the jamokes who gave us red-light cams…this is just another way to meet ticket quotas and make moolah for this cash-poor, benighted city.
And the powers-that-be wonder why Cleveland is STILL losing two dozen residents per DAY? Christ on a cracker!
Chuckles the Clown
My husband was cited for this a couple of winters ago in Lakewood. The officer actually reached inside his jeep and turned the ignition off. It was a $140 ticket!
With remote start, there are no keys and the vehicle is locked
I can this to a point to deter car thieves, but I drive a manual 5 speed and most people that steat cars are too stupid to drive a shift.
Simple answer, move out of the hovel hole of Cleveland. Politicians scratch their heads why the businesses and people are leaving. Actually with freedom to move why live in one of the coldest cities in America
I done got a ticket for it because I was in my truck warming it up then I forgot my phone in my house so I went in to get it then came out it was gonna so they gave me a ticket this shit is dumb forreal
I’ll take my chances and let my vehicle warm up. All this talk about it being bad for your car is BS, spouted by office workers! I’ve had to repair the damages from not letting it warm up a bit. Or maybe I’ll run for office so I can ride in my prewarmed limo on everybody elses dime!
I had my van stolen once after letting it run, and I had to pay the tow fee in Mt Vernon. The thieves had just robbed a place in Loudonville. But this is not the type of law that helps anyone due to the Ohio winters.
Note: I am not living in Ohio anymore, I am now in TN.
We park our vehicles on private property and we will not get into a cold car. This is Akron, Ohio and it gets COLD.
I have kids and the police don’t pay their medical bills nor do they sit with them when they are admitted to the hospital
My thoughts are that if your car was stolen and report it to your insurance company they would have a way out for paying the claim….”we do not pay claims when a law has been broken” so simple. Me thinks this law may have sponsored by insurance companies so they can save a ton of money but I don’t think they gave us a cheaper rate cause of the law!? All in my very humble opinion. God Bless!
This would be a good fact served under a snapple cap. Every time I played grand theft auto the cops always were after me because I went ham with an AK. That’s how I compare this mojumbo. They have better things to do. Your more likely to win the lottery than get a ticket for this.
“My thoughts are that if your car was stolen and report it to your insurance company they would have a way out for paying the claim.” – No, I did not claim it on my insurance, I had min coverage at the time, although with a newer car I might have done the full coverage, so a remote start might be a good idea. But since I am in TN now, I have warmer temps than you currently do, so I am not going to worry too much about it.
This is fine for dumbells that leave their cars run with keys in them, but I know my remote start kills the motor if you touch the brake or shifter. They need to revise the law, or we need to vote the idiots out of office!!!
what ever. i don’t live up north anymore but i guarantee that nobody is going to pay attention to this law. what moron even wanted this put on a ballot to vote on? along with the morons who supported it. and politicians wonder why nobody can stand or trust a politician. taxpayer money being wasted by it’s so-called finest. with all the important things in this country that need to be addressed and this is the best they come to agreement on? what a joke. you have my sympathy fellow ohioans.
Go after these idiots who think it’s cool to “roll coal.” These diesel trucks with modified exhaust systems are doing more damage to the environment than a gasoline powered engine left running.
If this was a fair country every single city would have a mandatory e-check. I live on the border of an e-check county and have been trying to figure out what the difference is between the two counties. Is there a dome separating them or what?
My neighbors have the loudest pieces of crap possible and leave their cars running in the street unattended anywhere from 10-45 minutes at a time. They also do it as as early as 5:00 AM and very late at night. They are constantly doing this and I wish the law was enforced where I live.
The amount of stupididity in these comments is mind blowing, armymedic I’m sure u agree with me Lol. Idk how anyone could possibly think starting a cold engine and just taking off to warm it up is OK in any manner unless Ur so damn wealthy that you don’t even give a damn, I like to think these insolent comments are probably coming from people who don’t even check their own oil or anything like that, they just always depend on others to fix anything that goes wrong, ( witch I’m sure is frequently given the responses) and then just take it back to the shop and let a guy tell them what they did and fix it again Lol. If I was a criminal and theif I would love for someone like Anthony French to come to my shop so I could weesel him out of money and give him good tips with crap explanations for ways to effectively keep his cars running good…… back to the shop that is Lol, seems like someone already got him hooked on the bad advice.
Pretty sure this law was created after people complained about city workers leaving trucks running all day while the tax payer was eating the bill.
Yes cars warm up faster when you drive them but you can’t drive them if your windows are frosted and you can’t see. I’m not going to put my 4year old in a freezing car because the state is looking for more money.
Ticket me i want this challenge i also want to see a cop come up my 2 acre drive way when i dont plow it
Well state of Ohio can fuck off I don’t give two fucks what they say I’m going to start my car n wait in side of my apartment till I have to leave. Just another way to our hard earned money
We have a law here in Idaho where I am now living that you can not have your vehicle idling for more than 3 minutes.
I suppose the law was trying to implement the same in Ohio, and I can understand in some ways why. However most of the time we are “warming” cars up in Ohio, there is some ice removal or snow removal also accompanying.
Well. I have an old car. I have to warm it up. It idles high when its first started. 3 to 5 mins is usually enough. If i try to drive right away my car doesnt work right. It wont shift right… grinds a bit…. but this has been true for all older vehicles. F this law. If a person wants to steal my car in nearly below zero weather… good luck… i have no heat!!! Bahaha
I do know someone who pulled up to a Convenient store, left her car running, a thief jumped in and took off as she was coming out of the store, the police found the car safe about a half hour later, she was cited for leaving it unattended.
I think this is more about having your car roll away, or the possibility of the 1 in seven billion, six hundred eighty-two million, nine hundred fifty-six thousand, four hundred and twenty eight chance that a fairy fart in San Diego causes a butterfly effect of a money tree in France to drop a pink six pence which cause slight vibrations in the earth crust to the extent of a domino pizza effect of tectonic planes shifting and massive tidal waves which In turn cause a minor earthquake in your hometown of Jesup, Iowa that makes your lucky cue ball roll off the dash and hit the gear shift, knocking your vehicle into reverse, sending your car careening into a lake. Or this post is just a way for somebody to get you to click their advert. Either way, you wasted more time reading and comprehending this paragraph than they would have gotten out of you. Especially if you have gotten this far! Its not about warming up your car, its about leaving a running motor vehicle running while unattended, and all the glorious things, good or bad, that can happen within this circumstance. *exaggerate much?*
Give me that ticket and you won’t be collecting. Take my license or whatever you want but you won’t get a red cent. No one tells me what to do with my own property . Good luck !
My 84 year old parents both do not warm their cars and have lived this long and quite well. No one needs to warm their cars as they begin to warm while driving within a few blocks
Honestly, Americans are becoming whiners,and not very robust or even sturdy enough to withstand three minutes of diminishing cold while seated in an upholstered car seat! Pitiful, pampered, entitled and adicted to their own comfort. My neighbors on both sides and across in 200 unit apts warm up for20 to 30 minutes, multiple vehicles per household. This during the warmest recorded temps. It’s also noisy at 5:30 am. Shameful. Shame, shame, shame.
Kleine, you might want to read up on medical conditions such as Raynaud’s syndrome before you call people things like “whiners” and “shameful”. I hope you never have to deal with something like that.
This is a good example of government over reach. It is amazing how many people are willing to give up their rights to people with hang ups about everything. Why is it that we inconvenience law abiding people because there are low lifes out there who would steal from us? It is time our government goes after the criminals who steal from us instead of making our lives a bigger hassle to protect us from them. It is not my fault there are criminals. If everyone as honest as I am we wouldn’t need locks on anything.
Your point about the keyless remote start is wrong. The law says the car must be stopped and they key removed. Not or.