Toronto, Ontario — A new festive trend fa-la-la-ing its way across North America and Europe is seeing drivers covering their vehicles in lights, resulting in tickets, paint damage as well as the expected dose of holiday cheer.
Photos and videos showing the decorated vehicles are becoming more and more common on social media as the countdown to the holidays looms ever closer.
One instance from Facebook shows Wyoming’s state highway patrol reminding citizens that “no person shall drive or move any vehicle or equipment upon any highway with any lamp or device thereon capable of displaying a red or blue light visible from directly in front of the centre thereof.”
The reason for this is to ensure that decorated vehicles cannot be mistaken for emergency personnel on roads. Other areas across North America—in order to get ahead of any attempted loopholes—have also stated that white lights are also not permitted.
In order to attach the strands of lights to their vehicles, many drivers are relying on a variety of tapes, which can leave residue on a vehicle’s chassis or chip the paint itself.
As a result, from a driving safety perspective, it seems that some drivers are driving home the holiday spirit a bit too hard. Remember, it’s better to light up your home than your bumper, or you might find yourself in a bright situation!
