What is puffing?

Is it the art of exaggerating? Well … yes but not what I’m referring to.  Is it short labored breathing? Also yes, but still not what I’m talking about. 

I’m talking about a habit than many of us New Yorkers have. We start our vehicles and leave them unattended with the keys in the ignition while we wait in the house for them to warm up during the winter months. This practice is referred to as Puffing. This term references the puffs of exhaust from the tailpipe during cold weather.

Puffing seems relatively harmless but there are quite a few reasons why it’s not a good practice:

• Theft! An idling vehicle with the doors unlocked and the owner nowhere in sight is the perfect invitation to thieves.
• Air Pollution – Idling vehicles release harmful pollutants into the air.
• Fuel Waste – Leaving your vehicle running unnecessarily wastes fuel and increases your carbon footprint.
• Vehicle Wear and Tear – Extended idling can put unnecessary stress on your vehicle’s engine and other components.

And possibly the most important reason is that it’s actually illegal in New York! Who knew?! NY is one of approximately 30 states where it’s illegal to warm up your vehicle. Section 1210/Unattended Motor Vehicle of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic law states:

“No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key from the vehicle, and effectively setting the brake thereon and, when standing upon any grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway, provided, however, the provision for removing the key from the vehicle shall not require the removal of keys hidden from sight about the vehicle for convenience or emergency.”

The law’s intent is to help prevent air pollution but also to prevent your vehicle from being stolen. Tickets and fines can be given if you’re caught warming up your vehicle.

Here are a few ideas that are more environmentally friendly and greatly reduce the risk of having your vehicle stolen:

• Use a remote starter where you can start your vehicle from inside, the vehicle stays locked and there are no keys in the ignition and you can also minimize the amount of time the engine is idling.
• Let your vehicle idle, while you remain outside with it, and scrape the windows to let it warm up a bit.
• Suffer through it and blast your vehicle’s heater once the engine has warmed up for a minute or so.

And the interesting tidbit is that when using a remote starter, it’s not considered puffing because puffing involves having the keys in the ignition. Cool!

After all is said and done, puffing can be risky in a number of ways and lead to negative consequences for you as a vehicle owner and for the environment. So let’s see if we can spread the word and reduce our puffing.