Warming Up Your Car Law in Alabama

When it starts getting dark at 5 pm and you think it's 11 pm, this means the Winter months are upon us.

The cold season is not my favorite time because of the temperatures. I know many people do not like to get into a cold car. Me, I’m one of those people. I’m quick to start my car and run back into the house while it warms up. While on the phone with one of my friends, he said “you know you might be breaking the law.” Not me, I’m a rule follower, for the most part.

So, I had to dig a little deeper. I’m not trying to go to jail just to be toasty.

What I found out is that the law varies from state to state. Also, warming up the car is called idling and can be illegal with some hefty fines. Say it isn’t so.

Why is this even a concern?

According to the Readers Digest, “anti-idling laws exist with a much bigger purpose in mind: to prevent air pollution. Penalties and exact anti-idling measures depend on the state and even city or county you reside in, with punishments ranging from fines to written warnings.”

Readers Digest listed out the states with anti-idling laws:

Arizona

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Kansas

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

West Virginia

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Whew, that means Alabama is not on the list! The Yellowhammer State is also joined by some other states with no laws against warming up your car:

Alaska

Florida

Indiana

Iowa

Kentucky

Louisiana

Mississippi

Nebraska

New Mexico

Oklahoma

South Dakota

Tennessee

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Outside of the pollution factor, it could affect the mechanical side of your car. My Dad was a mechanic, so I grew up with a household of Popular Mechanics magazines. They noted that warming up your car “does not prolong the life of your engine; in fact, it decreases it by stripping oil away from the engine’s cylinders and pistons.”

So, my advice, idle with caution. Stay warm my friends.

(Source) Click here for more from Readers Digest. Click here for more from Popular Mechanics.

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