Michigan man gets $128 ticket for leaving his car running in driveway

   #1  

vreihen

Verified VCDS User
Verified
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
5,043
Reaction score
6,395
Location
The Land of OCC, NY, USA
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=31688
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/01/10/a-mich-man-let-his-car-warm-up-unattended-in-his-driveway-now-hes-facing-a-128-parking-ticket/

A Mich. man left his car running in his girlfriend’s driveway. Now he’s facing a $128 parking ticket.
By Ben Guarino
January 10

15823459_10211804447893308_2520736353288665044_n.jpg


It was a chilly Midwestern morning when a Michigan man named Taylor Trupiano, 24, kept his car running in his girlfriend’s driveway in Roseville, Mich. Leaving the keys in the ignition, he ducked into her house. He was there, Trupiano said, only to deliver diapers for his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son before jotting back out again.

“I was in and out in probably about seven, eight minutes,” Trupiano said to Detroit’s ABC 7 News.

When Trupiano returned outside, he discovered that he now owed the city of Roseville $128. A ticket stuck to Trupiano’s car outlined the violation: vehicle parked in drive, with keys in the ignition, “motor running — no one around.”

The 24-year-old at first believed that the ticket was some sort of prank. Incredulity gave way to anger. “I’ve done this every day for seven years,” he said, according to a local Fox affiliate. “Every person warms up their car. We live in Michigan.” Trupiano told Click on Detroit that he had no idea he was violating a law and wished that the patrolling officer could have approached him instead of issuing the fine.

Trupiano posted the ticket to Facebook, saying that “giving me a ticket for warming up my car in my own damn driveway” was “wasting the taxpayer’s money.” He also called the officer who left the ticket a “dips—.” (Trupiano later retracted the obscenity in a subsequent Facebook post: “Thinking it over, it wasn’t the appropriate thing to say because I do respect police officers for what they do for us everyday.”)

Although Michigan does not have a statewide law prohibiting warming up cars in driveways, James Berlin, the Roseville Police chief, defended the practice. Cities or municipalities in the state may have their own regulations to curb the practice.

“We have five to 10 cars stolen this way every winter,” Berlin told ABC 7 News. “It’s dangerous, and of course it drives everyone’s insurance rates up. It drives our crime rates up.” He encouraged the tickets because stolen cars, the police chief argued, can lead to dangerous high-speed chases.

The lawman expressed little sympathy for Trupiano’s ignorance of the local prohibition.

“You see the disparaging comments he made about my officer?” Berlin said to Click on Detroit. “Drop dead.”

Fox 2 Detroit reported that Trupiano was set to appear in court Jan. 26 in Roseville’s District Court. Trupiano wrote on Facebook that he would burn the ticket at a music performance.
 
   #2  

Uwe

Benevolent Dictator
Administrator
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
48,925
Reaction score
33,652
Location
USA
VCDS Serial number
HC100001
Another version of this that I saw stated that the use of a remote starter does not violate this ordinance because the intent of the ordinance is to prevent cars from being stolen. So it seems that idling the car unattended isn't illegal per se, and the problem is having it unlocked with the the keys in it. I can sorta understand that, depending on the location...
 
   #3  

DV52

Verified VCDS User
Verified
Joined
May 16, 2014
Messages
5,469
Reaction score
5,934
Location
Melbourne, Australia
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=194404
A Mich. man left his car running in his girlfriend’s driveway. Now he’s facing a $128 parking ticket.
It was a chilly Midwestern morning when a Michigan man named Taylor Trupiano, 24, kept his car running in his girlfriend’s driveway in Roseville, Mich. Leaving the keys in the ignition, he ducked into her house. He was there, Trupiano said, only to deliver diapers for his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son before jotting back out again.

“I was in and out in probably about seven, eight minutes,” Trupiano said to Detroit’s ABC 7 News.

When Trupiano returned outside, he discovered that he now owed the city of Roseville $128. A ticket stuck to Trupiano’s car outlined the violation: vehicle parked in drive, with keys in the ignition, “motor running — no one around.”

The 24-year-old at first believed that the ticket was some sort of prank. Incredulity gave way to anger. “I’ve done this every day for seven years,” he said, according to a local Fox affiliate.

vreihen: What's Mr Trupiano comaining about? According to his own admission, said Mr Trupiano owes the City of Roseville $327,040 (7 years @ $128/day) - I would have thought that Mr Trupiano should be writing a thank-you letter to the municipality for getting a 99.96% discount on the total amount outstanding!

Don
 
   #4  

Andy

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
3,139
Reaction score
4,777
Location
Sector 7G
VCDS Serial number
HC424490
Pro-tip: many KESSY systems including the one in my MQB can be tweaked with VCDS to allow the remote to function while the engine is running. You can't lock the car using the door handle touch sensors but you can fish the fob out of your pocket and press the lock button. I used this successfully when the car was iced over and I had concerns about possible grand theft via yeti.
 
   #5  

TBAx

Verified VCDS User
Verified
Joined
Dec 3, 2016
Messages
719
Reaction score
630
Location
Germany
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=287144
Andy: this is correct but does also apply to MQB cars without KESSY (Address 09, Adaptions, IDE05142-ENG115754). You just have to have both keys ready. One stays in the car, the other is used to close it while running.
 
   #6  

D-Dub

Verified VCDS User
Verified
Joined
Apr 17, 2014
Messages
620
Reaction score
630
Location
US 2014 GTI Drivers Edition/DSG
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=272151
on my 2013 volt, it has remote start aka pre-conditioning;

from the key fob, you must press the lock (even if already locked), then hold the remote start button for like 3-5 seconds.

it won't remotely start without pressing lock first.

it only operates 10 minutes then stops.

You can only remote start twice (always lock, then hold remote start), until the vehicle is started normally (similar to kessy) push button.

I can only assume other so equipped GM vehicles operate similarly.

Note 1: Since this is an electric vehicle, remote start consists of starting the heating/AC/fan/defrost and start bringing the cabin to temp. There is both an electric cabin heater and heater assisted from the gas engine.

Note 2: depending on temp and user/vehicle settings, the Internal Combustion Engine may optionally start up to warm up both the I.C.E. and assist with heating. (typically at or below freezing)


While annoying to have to always press lock then start, it is more than awesome to wake up, start precon1, take a shower, start precon2, eat breakfast, then leave to a warm fully charged vehicle.
 
   #7  

aTOMic

Verified VCDS User
Verified
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
52
Reaction score
66
Location
Near Nashville, Tennessee, USA
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=151918
Pro-tip: many KESSY systems including the one in my MQB can be tweaked with VCDS to allow the remote to function while the engine is running. You can't lock the car using the door handle touch sensors but you can fish the fob out of your pocket and press the lock button. I used this successfully when the car was iced over and I had concerns about possible grand theft via yeti.
See, if he'd just tried to explain this to the officer the cop's head would've exploded from information overload.

on my 2013 volt, it has remote start aka pre-conditioning;

from the key fob, you must press the lock (even if already locked), then hold the remote start button for like 3-5 seconds.

it won't remotely start without pressing lock first.

it only operates 10 minutes then stops.

You can only remote start twice (always lock, then hold remote start), until the vehicle is started normally (similar to kessy) push button.

I can only assume other so equipped GM vehicles operate similarly.

Note 1: Since this is an electric vehicle, remote start consists of starting the heating/AC/fan/defrost and start bringing the cabin to temp. There is both an electric cabin heater and heater assisted from the gas engine.

Note 2: depending on temp and user/vehicle settings, the Internal Combustion Engine may optionally start up to warm up both the I.C.E. and assist with heating. (typically at or below freezing)


While annoying to have to always press lock then start, it is more than awesome to wake up, start precon1, take a shower, start precon2, eat breakfast, then leave to a warm fully charged vehicle.
My parents' Toyota highlander v6 would still be blowing cold air... It does not seem to ever warm up; probably a conspiracy of tree-huggers. It seemingly would NEVER "Warm up" until driven. The A8 is blowing warm air by the end of our driveway. (or after running ~5 minutes).

My wife said it's illegal in her native Deutschland to park unlocked anywhere - even in your own rural driveway - even if not running. Thought that was stupid until I learned it was to prevent young children from locking themselves in a car and dying. That, plus the fact the battery is less abused if you lock it so it sleeps quicker, made me lock ours in the drive.

-Tom
 
Back
Top