ROSEVILLE (AP) - A Detroit-area man has been ticketed for leaving a vehicle running unattended in his driveway as he warmed it up.
Nick Taylor, of Roseville, said the incident happened on a chilly morning earlier this month. He said he went inside his home and left his car running for about five minutes. When he went back outside, he had received a $125 fine for a local ordinance violation of leaving a motor vehicle unattended.
"Every person warms up their car," Taylor said. "We live in Michigan!"
Taylor posted a photo of the ticket on Facebook. The post has been shared more than 6,000 times and garnered more than 5,000 comments.
Roseville Police Chief James Berlin is standing by the officer who issued the ticket, saying it's a public safety issue because a thief could have easily taken the car.
"A thief can just open the door, and off they go" if a car is running and doesn't have a remote start system, Berlin said. "They typically flee the area at a high rate of speed, we have to chase, and that puts motorists and pedestrians at risk."
He said that a ticket for leaving a vehicle unattended is "fairly common," but that the city does not monitor how many it issues.
Taylor is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
Published: Mon, Jan 16, 2017
