Idling For Too Long Can Result In Tickets In Tri-State Area

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Nobody likes getting into a cold car, but a Michigan man recently got hit with a big fine for warming it up too long.

And as CBS2's Jessica Layton reported Tuesday night, it turns out the laws in the Tri-State Area can be just as strict.

In recent days, the extreme cold had people running to their cars. But Taylor Trumpiano of the Detroit suburb of Roseville ran into some trouble for warming his car up too long in his own driveway.

He was fined $128.

"I was in and out in probably about seven to eight minutes," Trumpiano said. "I thought it was like some kind of joke at first."

But a joke it is not. Several cities and states have laws against idling.

In New York state, the time limit is five minutes. Within New York City, it drops to three minutes.

The limit is also three minutes in New Jersey, and the law there can be "enforced on public roadways and on private property."

That means idling in your own driveway could technically get you a ticket.

Police say the problem with starting up your car, leaving the key in the ignition, and then getting out and walking away while your car is warming up is that it is an invitation for theft.

"It's very easy to break into a running vehicle and drive it away -- and emissions," said Robert Sinclair Jr. of AAA Northeast.

Those problems, and the news of the Michigan man's ticket, has local drivers second-guessing their idling ways. A man named Michael admitted he left his car idling while "waiting for my girlfriend; she was getting pizza."

They are realizing the extra coziness inside the car might not be worth the risk.

CBS2 was told that in most cases, situations with remote car starters are exempt because the car doors remain locked. The law does not apply to emergency vehicles or refrigerated trucks.