GREEN BAY (NBC26) — This holiday season, some drivers are getting into the spirit by decorating their cars with Christmas lights and other decorations. But, state law says some drivers could be ticketed if those lights are on.
- Video shows a Green Bay driver who decorated his car with holiday lights.
- Holiday lights on cars have been spotted throughout northeast Wisconsin, but driving with the lights on raises legal questions.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
In early November, Mason King saw videos on social media of cars draped with holiday lights.
An experienced car detailer, he gave it a shot after spending roughly $300 on lights and gorilla tape.
"It took me two days," said King. "The first night I was up until 11 o'clock and then I got halfway done with the car. And the next night I was up until twelve and then that's when I got finished with the car."
He was hard to miss once he hit the road the next day.
"As soon as we left there was a lot of people that were like 'Oh we like your car,'" King said. "We would go park somewhere and I would keep them on for maybe two, three minutes and people would come up [and say] 'I like your car, looks really nice.'"
But this moving masterpiece isn't exactly legal.
Wisconsin law says lights like Mason's have to be off while driving.
De Pere Police said if drivers have the lights on they'd face a warning and possible citation.
"We totally understand people want to be festive and share their holiday spirit but there's so many distractions already out on the roadway," De Pere police officer Joe Johnson said.
"We just want to minimize the distractions we have out there," an officer said.
"There's a lot of other times I've seen a lot of cops and they would look at the cars and I had the lights on, they would just drive away," said King.
