Experts: Idling Your Vehicle Not Necessary, Sometimes Illegal

By: Tim Studebaker

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FOXBOROUGH, MASS. (WLNE) – Picture a cold winter morning.  You get in the car, turn the key, and let the engine warm up for a few minutes.  You might think you’re doing a good thing for your car’s health.  It turns out, you might actually be breaking the law.

Pierrette Sullivan from Somerset says, “I think there are so many more important things we should be worrying about, unless they’re doing it because they think the environment… it’s giving pollution.”

AAA says that’s exactly why this law was created: to reduce pollution.

AAA Northeast (Massachusetts) Spokesperson Mark Schieldrop says, “So the law states that any passenger vehicle or commercial vehicle in Massachusetts can’t idle for more than five minutes at a time.”

There are some exceptions, like while your windshield defrosts, or if you need the engine to power something else like a winch.  Laws aside, idling your car in the cold for a long time might actually be doing more harm than good anyway.

Schieldrop says, “A car warms up much more quickly when it’s being driven.  So, that time when you’re just sitting there idling, you’re actually extending the period of time when the engine is running cold.  And that’s when the most engine wear occurs.”

That old advice to warm up your car may date back to older technology.

Schieldrop says, “These days, cars are computer controlled.  Oils are much more advanced and thinner, so they actually flow through the engine much better at colder temperatures.”

AAA’s been hearing that police say the law is difficult to enforce, and that officers typically respond only to specific complaints.  Rhode Island does have a similar law, but it only applies to diesel engines.

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