INDIANA (NEXSTAR) – With cold weather hitting the country this week — especially in the Midwest — drivers may want to warm up their vehicles before they hit the roads. But is that legal?
In Indiana, drivers will not face any legal ramifications for warming up their vehicles. That applies to any location and for any amount of time.
Other states, however, do have restrictions on warming up your vehicle. In Illinois, for example, it is actually illegal to leave a running car unattended.
Illinois law states, “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 ignition, effectively setting the brake thereon and, when standing upon any perceptible grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway.”
Violators can be fined as much as $100 or more.
Even certain municipalities in Wisconsin have certain ordinances in place restricting drivers to a specific idling time before they are in violation of the law. In Madison, WI., drivers can leave their cars running unattended for up to five consecutive minutes.