In Colorado, the question arises every year about this time. Are remote-start vehicles considered puffers in my city, county, and/or state? This year the issue has been settled once and for all. On March 31, 2016, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law “Remote Starter Systems – HB 16-1122,” a change to Colorado’s puffer law that exempts remote-start vehicles. The full text of the bill, which became effective on August 10, 2016, is below. Those without remote starts must continue to abide by the existing state puffer law.
Looks like your Colorado law is mostly designed for safety reasons (?) – i.e. your vehicle can run all day if it’s locked. Probably things are similar in most states. It’s better than nothing, but the bigger issue of an idling car is the pollution it produces – in the old days, we used to say “there oughta be a law!” And there oughta. Most modern cars no longer require being warmed up before driving but I have several neighbors who let their cars run for up to 30 minutes every winter morning while sitting idle.
As I understand it, air pollution was the biggest concern when the original law was passed. Auto theft was also a consideration (a problem for both the police and the insurance companies). No, modern cars generally don’t need to be warmed up, but in cold weather drivers and passengers prefer to get into a warm car. (Around here you can get mighty cold in the 10 minutes or so it takes a moving car to warm up.)
Had to go back to your explanatory puffer post of 31st Jan 2011 to find out what was meant by puffers.. Luckily we don’t need to worry about the cold here, well not the cold that you poor souls have to put up with,.
The only puffers I’d ever heard of or come across before this, was the reference to steam locomotives way back when, long before deisel took over the railways, the trains were usually referred to as ‘Puffer Trains”, as the steam engine used to puff away under it’s load.
:bear: XD
Sorry about that. I guess was thinking primarily of other Coloradans when I posted this.
One of the more enjoyable amenities in our 11-year-old Lexus is electric seat-heaters. They work pretty fast. Mollie is so enamored of it that she runs it even with the A/C. Happiness, you could say, is a warm tush. : )
I’ve got those too, and they sure are nice. But they don’t in any way make up for an overall warm interior, especially around my feet and legs. I like being able to start the car remotely without stepping outside when it’s really cold. Knowing the car is locked is reassuring because some thieves this summer have been brazen enough to steal from garages left open — even when the owner is in the house or backyard. Plus, my back door opens directly into the garage.
Sad to hear about the car thefts from garages- I remember when CO people laughed that we locked the car all the time and had an alarm on it.
All cars – modern or not – run better if a little warm – fluid has to move and not be sluggish, seals need to warm, but it’s not as bad as the older cars used to be. Warm seats are heaven here – but there, no doubt you need heater blast, too!
I don’t know if cars have been stolen from garages, but there have been many reports of other stuff (compressers, generaters, etc.) swiped from garages left open. I’ve got nothing of value in my garage other than the car. I never leave the garage open, however, because of the door directly into the house. When warming up the car I often open the garage only about 1/3 of the way, hoping to discourage anyone who might be tempted to grab something. Why show the whole world what I have (or don’t have)?
I would guess most stolen puffers are parked at the curb, making for a fast getaway.