Can You Drive With A Lit Candle in New York

Please don't ask me to recall how this idea or should I say this question popped into my head. I can tell you it was completely random and just the thought of it gave me a bit of a laugh so I had to find out, Is it illegal to have a burning candle in your car while you are driving?

I believe it may have started with someone saying that now that the weather is warmer their car has all kinds of funky smells. The discussion then continued and turned into all the ways you could freshen the scent inside your car. We had everything from taking your stinky shoes out of the back to sticking a dry sheet in the vent.

Are Buring Candles in a Car Illegal?

While all of these totally practical ideas were being floated my mind wander off as it usually does and I started thinking about what if you could keep an incense stick in the car. Then I thought what if it was lit? Finally, I end up visualizing a jar candle in a cup holder.

SEE Also: Where to Find Handcrafted Candles in the Hudson Valley, NY

Obviously, it is not a good idea to have an open flame in the car while you are driving around in New York or anywhere for that matter. I am sure if something were to happen as a result of you driving around with an open flame in your car that your insurance company would have something to say about it. But believe it or not from all my digging on the internet I can't find anywhere that it says it is illegal.

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I actually found a few news stories where people caught their car on fire with a candle burning in the car. One was even at a gas station and apparently, they were not ticketed because it was not illegal. Dumb even dangerous probably but I guess not illegal. If you find out different please comment below. Here is a link to NYS Vehicle Laws.

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