In This State, You Might Face a Fine Merely for Warming Up Your Car | Carscoops

In This State, You Might Face a Fine Merely for Warming Up Your Car | Carscoops

      Little-known laws make it a misdemeanor to leave your car running unattended in certain public areas.

      

      20 hours ago

      

      by Stephen Rivers

      North Carolina prohibits unattended idling in public spaces, with police using this law mainly as a deterrent against car thefts. Unattended running vehicles often become targets for theft.

      Most drivers occasionally leave their cars idling, whether out of habit or convenience. As winter approaches in the northern hemisphere, this practice increases, with many drivers running their engines longer to warm up their cars before departing.

      More: This Guy Makes Over $100,000 Snitching On NYC’s Most Annoying Traffic Offense

      A little-known law from North Carolina serves as a reminder to many Americans. Leaving a vehicle idling, particularly while unattended, can lead to a ticket in specific public locations.

      The Dawson Rule Explained

      Referred to as the Dawson Rule in North Carolina, unattended idling is classified as a class 3 misdemeanor, which is the least severe level of offense in the state.

      This rule only applies in public spaces such as highways, public roads, gas stations, and parking lots, with private property typically excluded in North Carolina.

      Onslow County Sheriff Chris Thomas informed local station WNCT that while enforcement is not a top priority, the rationale behind the law remains significant, and not for the reasons many drivers might think.

      “The law is enforced only when it's on a public right of way or vehicular area,” Thomas detailed. “Locking and securing your vehicle, along with turning off the engine, is crucial to prevent it from being stolen, as many thefts occur as a crime of opportunity.”

      This presents an interesting perspective. While the statute falls under North Carolina’s idle reduction and air quality initiatives, law enforcement tends to view it more as a theft prevention measure than an environmental one.

      In practice, officers are not patrolling parking lots to issue tickets for idling vehicles, but they do respond to incidents where unattended, running cars are stolen.

      Moreover, this rule is not unique to North Carolina; 16 other states and Washington, D.C. have similar policies regarding unattended idling. Most of these regulations limit idling time to three to five minutes, and in states like New York, drivers are encouraged to report violations.

      The takeaway here is straightforward: ensure that when you idle your vehicle, you do so legally and safely.

      Which States Limit Idling?

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In This State, You Might Face a Fine Merely for Warming Up Your Car | Carscoops

Laws that are not widely recognized designate leaving your car idling unattended as a misdemeanor in certain public areas.