Have You Seen “Chippie” Hanging Out in Traffic?

The California Highway Patrol recently posted a video of a holiday hitchhiker hanging off the back of a highway patrol officer’s motorcycle antenna. Chippie, the Castro Valley police department’s “elf on a shelf,” has been making appearances on the department’s Facebook page, getting himself into harmless shenanigans. This particular video was captioned, “Chippie, what are you doing!?”

Of course, this is all in good fun, but motorcyclists and automobile drivers alike should take care when decorating their vehicles for the holidays, as well as when adding their own personal touches to their cars and trucks. Vehicle décor that’s installed or attached improperly can cause serious car and motorcycle accidents.

Following are some tips and tricks for making your vehicle festive – safely.

• Ensure everything is securely fastened, especially that Christmas tree. AAA reports that 44 percent of Americans who purchase a live tree will transport it home using unsafe methods, and 16 percent of those people have previously experienced a tree falling off or out of their vehicles. The organization also reports that road debris causes thousands of car crashes each year.
• Do not install or hang any décor that prevents you from seeing clearly out of your vehicle. Things like garland, tinsel or window decals that might obscure any area are not only dangerous, they may also earn you a traffic ticket from law enforcement for failure to keep a clear field of vision.
• Lights, especially colored lights, are a bad idea for decorating a vehicle. Those lights are not only a distraction to other drivers; they can also be mistaken for law enforcement, which can cause an accident. Drivers should save the lights for parades or tailgating parties, ensuring they are weatherproof outdoor lights and not turned on until they reach their destination.
• Remember to keep license plates clear and uncovered. Wreaths look festive hanging on a car or truck, but if it obscures the vehicle’s license plate, authorities may find a reason to pull you over, and probably not to wish you a happy holiday.
• Lights, tinsel or garland on the outside of the vehicle, if not fastened properly, can become tangled in wheels, car doors or other parts of the exterior. When using any décor on the outside of the vehicle, ensure it is fastened securely, or it could break off and become dangerous road debris, possibly causing an accident.
• Finally, if making the inside of a vehicle festive and fun, ensure all decorations are fastened securely and do not impede vision. Consider whether or not anything could become a projectile in the event of an accident, and whether it would put other drivers, passengers (or you) at risk.

Another thing drivers should keep in mind is that, depending on how they decorate their car, certain items could be considered modifications – which could invalidate the terms of an auto insurance policy.

The Los Angeles attorneys at McNicholas & McNicholas protect victims when they were injured in vehicle accidents through no fault of their own. We work to hold the responsible parties accountable for your damages and losses. To schedule your free case evaluation with an experienced lawyer, call 310-474-1582, or reach out to us through our contact page to tell us your story.

Please note that this blog is not to be construed as legal advice. Because every case is fact-specific, you should consult directly with an attorney to obtain legal advice specific to your situation.