Gary Zhou 
It’s Friday night, so …
Being in the holiday spirit is great, but a driver in Burnaby, which is in Canada, apparently went a little too far when they duct-taped holiday lights to their Tesla. Police pointed out that this could be dangerous, especially if they fell off in traffic. Also, a vehicle with holiday lights is a major distraction for other motorists on the road.
The Burnaby RCMP account on Twitter pointed out that although the holiday spirit is needed more than ever this year, the city has seen an increase in people who were injured in collisions.
Lights are okay on your trees and homes, but not on vehicles. As cool as it looks, don’t put lights on your vehicles in this manner, especially with duct tape.
I agree with Trevor — that is also highly distracting.
If you do want to be in the holiday spirit with your car, perhaps try something that isn’t so exaggerated. Jeff shared an excellent example of a beautiful holiday display on a Tesla roof rack in his tweet below. It’s not as distracting, is pleasing on the eyes, and doesn’t involve having the entire vehicle wrapped with a line of electrical cord. As long as the lights don’t flash, I think they could be okay.
If you do want to spice up your vehicle (whether it’s an EV or not) for the holidays, some things to keep in mind are how you plan to use your vehicle. Obviously, if you’re planning to take part in a parade and need the lights for that, that’s different. But using holiday lights on your car for everyday use could be unsafe and even illegal in your area. One way to find out is to call your local police department and research the laws in your area. However, even if it is legal to have lights on your car, I would advise you to only decorate for events.
Distracted Driving Can Kill
The NHTSA notes that it takes about 5 seconds on average to read or send a text. It’s not that much time, but in that same span of time, with your eyes on your phone and not the road, a vehicle traveling 55 miles an hour can travel the length of a football field. In those 5 seconds, a life can be taken — maybe even yours. In 2015, distracted driving killed 3,477 people in America.
The NHTSA has also pointed out that distracted driving isn’t just about electronic diversions. It’s anything that takes your focus away from the road. You could be eating, drinking, applying makeup, changing the radio station, playing with your dogs, scolding your children, or, indeed, staring at Christmas lights wrapped around another car.
If you do really want to celebrate the holidays with your car (as many do, especially at the end of 2020), try to research how to decorate your car in a safe, legal, and fun way — and don’t make it too fun, so as to not distract other drivers.
Original Publication by Johnna Crider at CleanTechnica.
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