Drivers across these states must be warned of this “winter rule” that they should not break during the colder weather months. For many locations across the country, the New Year means the start of the coldest month of the year. For those states with more extreme winter weather conditions, it means that drivers in these locations must take it upon themselves to be increasingly hypervigilant and aware of safe driving practices in order to reduce the likelihood of road accidents occurring.
Driver responsibilities increase in winter as the risks rise
The winter weather means that for vehicle owners and drivers, your responsibilities to your fellow road users increase. This is not, however, just limited to taking extra care to practice safe driving when on the road, but also means taking additional steps to keep your vehicle functioning and roadworthy. The colder winter weather can be tough on your car’s engine, and drivers need to ensure that they are keeping it well-maintained during these winter months for the sake of all road users’ safety.
The extra vehicle maintenance during winter often comes down to simple steps, such as paying attention to when you need to top up your antifreeze as well as monitoring your engine and battery more attentively for unusual activity, which could indicate engine damage. While today’s modern vehicles on the roads are fairly robust to the extreme cold, drivers must still take precautions through regular maintenance checks and not do activities that put extra strain on the engine.
Luckily, there are plenty of free resources available online, created by both vehicle manufacturers themselves as well as car enthusiasts, which offer advice to vehicle owners on how to keep their car going through the winter months. These tips and tricks range from advice specific to winter driving to general advice regarding unnecessary features on your vehicle that are causing excess strain.
Drivers, beware of this “winter rule” this month
Across many states, certain driving laws are only relevant during the winter months, specifically to do with warming up your vehicle before driving off. One such behavior that drivers are reminded not to do this winter is “puffing” your vehicle, whereby drivers leave their vehicle unattended to warm up the car.
The practice is illegal in 31 states, with drivers facing fines if convicted. If you hail from one of these states, drivers are reminded that you may not idle your car in the cold, no matter how freezing it is:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Texas is one of the stricter states when it comes to this practice, whereby, according to Texas Transportation Code Section 545.404, drivers face a Class C misdemeanor and a $500 fine if convicted.
Higher fines to deter illegal driving practices
High fines, like Texas’s policy on puffing, are one of the most common ways state authorities attempt to prevent illegal driving behaviors. Speeding fines, for example, can reach extreme heights, with drivers in states like Virginia and Illinois facing speeding fines as high as $2,500.
New York drivers are reminded to update themselves regarding changes to illegal driving behaviors and associated fines and convictions. This year, the state completely revamped and changed the current point system, with certain behaviors now carrying increased point penalties and new driving practices now carrying points when they previously did not. The most major change, however, is that the previous license suspension threshold of 11 points within 18-months has been changed to 10 points within 24 months.