KENNEWICK — The warm weather that Washington residents enjoyed through the fall has come to an abrupt end. As Halloween ushered in November, with it came the chilly mornings, with below-freezing temperatures fogging up car windows and making our breath visible in front of our noses.
With these changes comes the temptation to leave your car unattended and warm up in the morning while you continue to get ready. But can this technically be illegal?
Washington law on warming up cars
In most cases, yes, leaving a car engine on and unattended is illegal. The Revised Code of Washington states that a driver, or person in charge of a vehicle, cannot leave a car alone without first:
- Stopping the engine
- Locking the ignition
- Removing the key
- Setting the brake
- When parking on a grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway
Failure to do the above can result in an infraction notice. Depending on the scenario, this can be a warning or a ticket. You will be held liable for any collision or damage caused by a car you left unattended.
As remote start key fobs became more mainstream, some states have recently updated their statutes regarding unattended vehicles to consider remote start scenarios. Both Kansas and Missouri have updated legislation to specify that cars started remotely are not legally considered unattended. Washington has not yet made this change.
However, if you are on private property in Washington, you may get a pass for warming up your car. This will depend on city and county codes in your area.
Despite this legality, local law enforcement has advised Washington residents to refrain from leaving their car to warm up unattended anywhere others can access it, including on private property.
Last winter, there were multiple instances of cars stolen out of driveways while left unattended, including a day with three separate car thefts from private driveways in Kennewick alone.
This trend will likely pick up again this winter, as Washington state already accounts for the fourth-most vehicle thefts in any state in 2023, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. In the first half of the year, the Evergreen State reported more than 21,000 vehicle thefts, ranking below only Florida, Texas and California.
