ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road, helping Orlando-area residents become better drivers by being better educated.
Trooper Steve was asked, “Am I allowed to leave my vehicle idle if I have a push to start car?”
Florida statute 316.1975 talks about unattended motor vehicles. A person driving or in charge of any motor vehicle may not permit (the vehicle) to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition and removing the key.
“How this question is asked, I can understand the confusion when it comes to subsection 2(d),” Montiero said.
Montiero points out that this subsection seems to indicate a vehicle that is started by remote control while the ignition, transmission and doors are locked, is exempt from this law. However, he explains that this is not entirely the case.
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“This only means the vehicle was started prior to being driven and must be still manually unlocked prior to driving away,” Montiero said. “This does not mean because your vehicle is capable of push start or remote start that you can leave your vehicle running unattended.”
Put simply, just because you can push a button to start your car, doesn’t mean it can be left running while you’re away.
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