Q: I have Chevy Bolt EV and during the recent heat wave I left the vehicle “on” while parking in order to leave the air conditioning running. The car is designed so that it can turn itself “on” in order to cool the battery, so turning it “off” doesn’t mean it’ll necessarily stay “off”. Making the vehicle move when it’s “on” still requires that you have the fob, have your foot on the brake, your thumb on the shifter button while shifting out of park, after taking off the parking brake. So, in my opinion with all these interlocks, it’s perfectly safe. But is it legal in Washington?
A: Back in 1965 (and probably even earlier, but that’s far enough back for the purposes of this article) we had a law in Washington that stated, “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 and effectively setting the brake . . .” Fifty-five years later, our current law on unattended vehicles starts with the exact same sentence.
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