Do drivers need to warm their vehicles up in cold temperatures?

MIAMI VALLEY — It is another cold start across the Miami Valley this morning.

While temperatures are not as cold compared to Wednesday, some parts of the area are seeing temperatures in the upper 20s to start their Thursday, according to Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Britley Ritz.

The cold temperatures may cause drivers to think about starting up their cars to warm them up.

News Center 7′s Xavier Hershovitz spent Wednesday morning speaking with AAA about cold temperatures and your car.

One question he asked was, “Do you need to warm up the car or not?” when it comes to the health of your car.

“It’s really not that important aside from your comfort level,” said Dustin Shafner, AAA car care manager. “So typically, most cars only need to run for about 30 seconds to 60 seconds in the morning to really get warmed up.”

>>Dry, chilly temperatures today; Breezy, warming up this weekend

Hershovitz also says it is illegal in Ohio to leave your engine idling.

News Center 7 did some research, and it has been illegal since 2004 but the law was loosened back in 2017 by the Ohio State Legislature.

According to Ohio’s revised code, there are exceptions.

It does not apply to cars parked on a residential property, a locked car parked anywhere, or emergency and public safety vehicles.

For more information on unattended motor vehicles, visit this website.