Michigan Winter Laws: It’s Legal to Warm Up Your Car In Your Driveway
What's something you can't stand about winter? I've always hated having to run outside to warm my car up. Thankfully, I invested in a remote start this year and get to skip one of those steps.
Did you know that up until 2017, it was illegal for Michigan residents to warm their cars up in their driveway? The old law stated that the owner of the vehicle would be ticketed for leaving their car unattended, unless the vehicle was locked and equipped with a remote start.
While some people may have already been aware that this was the law, some did not know. The law received more attention in 2017, after a man in Roseville received a ticket for warming up his car unattended in his driveway. About 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.
So, we may be able to warm our cars up without worry in our driveways now, but it's still illegal to leave your idling vehicle unattended on a private road or business parking lot. Which I myself didn't know and am glad I do now because I've definitely done this before.
I'm one of those people who sometimes uses being cold as an excuse to skip out on things. For example, I've skipped grocery shopping numerous times because I didn't feel like going out in the cold. Lazy, I know. So, I'm definitely thankful it's legal to warm up your car now.