If you are thinking of starting your car and waiting inside while it warms up, reconsider.
"It can be cold for four or five minutes 'til your car heats up and you drive away," Minersville police Chief Michael Combs said Wednesday.
Or it could be stolen, the chief said.
Chapter 37 of the state vehicle code section 3701 states, "No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit the vehicle to stand unattended without placing the gear shift lever in a position which under the circumstances impedes the movement of the vehicle, stopping the engine, locking the ignition in vehicles so equipped, removing the key from the ignition and, when standing upon any grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway and effectively setting the brake."
Penalty for failure to do so is small - $5 if convicted of the summary offense, the code states. However, this does not include court costs, which can boost the total payment up drastically.
The biggest danger for leaving a running vehicle unattended is theft, Combs said.
"Are you really in a position to have your car stolen?" he asked.
Other police chiefs in the county agree.
"You committed a violation (of the vehicle code) by letting your car (run) unattended," Pottsville police Chief Joseph H. Murton V said last week.
Lt. Thomas Trotter of the Pine Grove Police Department said even leaving your car running by using a remote start is against the law - "because the vehicle is running."
On the other hand, equipping a car with remote start, where the engine starts without the key, runs "a little less risk as far as getting stolen," Combs said.
Dave Clews, owner of 12 Volt Dave's Audio, Pottsville, said on average 300 people each winter have remote starts installed on their vehicles. He has been installing remote starts on vehicles and hasn't had one customer say their car was stolen because of the device.
"Nobody's going anywhere" if the brake is depressed and keys aren't in the ignition, Clews said.
The remote start option is a popular one. Clews said no openings are available for installation for about a month.
Consumers can opt for two remote starts. One simply starts the car, and the other can lock, unlock and trigger a trunk release, Clews said.
He doesn't service vehicles with manual transmissions due to the possibility of a vehicle moving on its own.
"It's a liability thing," he said.
Murton said he hasn't cited anyone for an unattended running car, but officers would consider circumstances if they see such a thing.
Citing people for leaving a vehicle running isn't high on the list of priorities for departments, but the danger exists of something happening.
"Chances are we're not going to cite you for it," Combs said. "If something were to happen (like an accident), we're going to cite you for it."
Trotter said if a Pine Grove officers finds a car with its engine running unattended, a warning is typically given. Some drivers do not know it's against the law, he said.
If a child is in the car it's a different story. Area officers said the driver will be fined.
"That's not something that's going to be overlooked," Combs said.
Sean Brown, spokesman for PennDOT District 5, Allentown, said the major danger would be theft and the car possibly slipping out of park and being a danger to motorists or others.
"For safety reasons, someone should be in control of that vehicle," he said.
According to FBI Uniform Crime Reports, about 737,142 motor vehicle thefts occurred in 2010, the latest data available, with the average theft being $6,152. In Pennsylvania, there were 16,610 such thefts reported to police, or an average of 46 a day, according to an online 2010 annual Crime Report.
Dave Phillips, a State Farm spokesman, said theft is not covered unless it is part of comprehensive coverage.
"You don't have any coverage for theft if you don't have comprehensive on your policy," he said, adding theft is one of the most common losses for an automobile policy.