An older BMW was clearly illegal when the police spotted it on the highway. Yet the owner got away with a raised index finger.
The owner of an older BMW got away with a warning even though his car was covered in illegal Christmas lights.
It happened when the car was stopped on one of Australia's busiest roads, the M1 motorway, when police discovered the car resembling a "running Christmas tree" due to the extensive Christmas decorations.
It was 1 a.m. on December 1st, and traffic was light when police noticed the illegally lit BMW. The car's owner, who was driving with a female passenger, stopped completely when the police waved him over.
According to police officer Josh Scarcella, both the driver and passenger were in good spirits and appeared sober. Although they were charged with illegal lighting that was disturbing other road users, the police chose not to issue a fine of 820 Australian dollars (equivalent to 3,700 kroner).
The officers instead asked the driver to remove the Christmas lights from the car as they posed a traffic hazard.
The driver and passenger attempted to remove the lights on the spot, but were unsuccessful. They were therefore told to drive home and remove the lights there. An hour later, the police received a message with a picture of the car without Christmas lights.
Although the car owner in this case got off with a warning, the incident highlights the importance of obeying traffic laws and avoiding illegal vehicle decoration. Nor can an upcoming holiday be used as an excuse.
Here in Denmark, Christmas-decorated cars are also illegal if the decorations impair visibility or dazzle other traffic.
Back in 2016, the Danish National Police Traffic Department did not believe that Christmas-decorated passenger cars posed any major problem on the roads.
It's more the truck drivers with a penchant for this kind of thing who get into trouble. However, law enforcement notes that if Christmas lights/decorations take up more than 30 percent of the field of vision, it triggers a fine and a penalty on the driver's license.
