Gone are the days when owning a car is only about making big investments. Today, it has now become a necessity for every adult to move from one place to another with ease. Although owning a car is a very good thing, you need to understand that there’s a limit to what you can do with your vehicle.
For instance, I’m sure you understand the importance of stopping when you see the stop sign ahead of you while driving. However, failing to stop is a punishable offense in most countries of the world. Well, the stop sign offense is a very common one, and most often people obey it.
But do you know that there are several uncommon offenses; in fact, you won’t even know that it’s illegal until you get put down by the police. One of them is when you rev your car engine unnecessarily.
Revving your car engine unnecessarily can be considered illegal depending on your state. Besides the fact that revving your car, in some cases, may damage your engine, doing it will certainly bring up excessive noise. If this happens, one of the punishments, depending on your state, is a fine of up to $120.
Is it illegal to rev your engine in a parking lot? Will you get penalized for revving your car engine at every stoplight? Is it illegal to rev and trick someone into the race? These are some of the frequently asked questions regarding the revving of engines. Read on to find answers to these questions and many more.
Is It Illegal to Rev Your Engine in a Parking Lot?
Before going ahead to address the burning question, here’s a quick one; what exactly does revving your car do? I’m asking this question just to ensure that we’re both clear about what revving your car means.
First, revving an engine is a puerile behavior that is common among people using high-power sports vehicles. Furthermore, revving a car engine involves stepping on the gas pedal while your vehicle is still parked.
When you rev your car, it behaves exactly how it’s supposed to when you’re driving it. This behavior causes the car engine’s RPM to increase, bringing up excessive noise as you continue to match the gas pedal.
Now, let’s go back to the burning question of whether or not revving your car engine is illegal in a parking lot. The answer to the question is yes, revving your engine unnecessarily in a parking lot is illegal and punishable under the law. Of course, this depends on a couple of factors, such as the state you reside in and the amount of excessive noise coming from the engine.
According to the government of Washington, revving the engine of any vehicle that’s not moving is prohibited. The punishment for a fine, which could be up to $120.
Is It Legal to Rev Your Engine at Stoplights?
Here’s another frequently asked question; is it legal to rev your car engine at every stoplight? The simple and direct answer to the question is it depends on the state and country where you reside.
In some countries, there’s no law against revving your car engine at any stoplight. However, in some other countries, especially the US, doing that is an offense that could cost you money. As earlier mentioned, the government of Washington frowns against revving of car vehicles when it’s parked. You need to also understand that the regulation also extends to cars that are just starting from a stopping place.
The bottom line is; revving your engine at stoplights may be illegal in your state. This is why you need to get familiar with the rules and regulations of your state to confirm that you’re not doing anything illegal by revving your engine.
Is It Illegal to Rev Your Engine and Trick Someone into the Race?
So, you found yourself stopped at a red light and ended up revving your car engine at the vehicle next to you. The first question is, did you pull off your car at high speed when the light turns green, and later slow down in a way that tricks the other vehicle into the race? Or did you just rev your engine and pull off normally after the light turns green?
These are two different questions but regardless of them, one thing you need to know is that revving your engine at stop lights, causing excessive noise is prohibited in some states.
Back to the burning questions above; the first one clearly shows that you intentionally tricked the other vehicle into racing with you. I’m sure you know that racing your car unnecessarily in many states in the USA is illegal.
However, if you don’t know, here’s what the government of Texas says about street racing in the state:
“A person may not participate in any manner in a race, a vehicle speed competition or contest, a drag race or acceleration contest, and many more.”
Apart from the fact that street racing is illegal, tricking another car into doing it may be tagged illegal if there’s a way to prove it.
The second part of the question says you rev to the car but pull off normally after the light turns green. Unless a cop saw you while revving your vehicle and causing excessive noise, it might be difficult to prove that you performed something illegal.
Why Do People Rev Their Car Engines?
Before wrapping up, here’s a quick question; why do people choose to rev their vehicles?
Most people that choose to rev their engines do that because of several different reasons. Here are some of them below:
- To get their cars warm faster in the morning
- To show off, so people can see that they are using high-power vehicles.
Regardless of the reasons behind it, revving an engine isn’t a good thing to do. It could cause damage to some of the components of your car, especially the engine. Apart from that, the behavior could also bring about noise pollution to the environment – this is why most states have different laws to regulate it.