Northwest Iowa — Nobody likes to crawl into a cold car on a winter morning. As a result, many northwest Iowans have opted to buy vehicles that feature a remote start capability, so that the car is nice and warm when you crawl inside. But depending upon where you park, you may be breaking the law when you use your remote start.
Under current Iowa law, it’s illegal to leave a running vehicle unattended on a public street. But a bill to change that has cleared a state senate subcommittee. Senator Thomas Greene of Burlington says if it’s available, lots of people are using the auto-start to warm up their cars this time of year.
Greene says sometimes there’s nowhere else BUT the street to park a car and it’s time for state law to “catch up” with the modern convenience of a remote start.
The Iowa D-O-T isn’t opposed to the bill, but an agency expert says one reason it’s illegal to leave your car running, unattended, on the street is because the car could roll and cause an accident.
