'Festive' Ford Mustang driver pulled over due to illegal holiday display: police

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (WKRC) - A "festive" Ford Mustang driver was pulled over after authorities found the vehicle traveling down the road while covered in Christmas lights.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) issued a statement to its official Facebook page last Monday after illegal holiday cheer hit the streets in the form of a Christmas light-covered Ford Mustang.

"As the holiday season approaches, we would like to remind you of a Wyoming statute," authorities wrote on the post. "W.S. 31-5-928 - Except as required in W.S. 31-5-929 and this section, 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 center thereof."

Authorities said while Christmas lights might look "cool and be festive," it's illegal in the state.

When speaking to the Cowboy State Daily, WHP Trooper Jason Simmer said that Christmas lights spread on a vehicle can interfere with a driver's depth perception and be a distraction.

“If you have all those Christmas lights on, and you are braking because there’s some type of emergency in front of you, and other motorists can’t tell because of the amount of lights on the vehicle,” Simmer told the publication. “If there’s a hill, or a curve, all that stuff can come into play. And when you have more lights, it’s more distraction. That increases reaction time and decreases the amount of time you have to actually react to something.”

Simmer told the Cowboy State Daily that Christmas lights on vehicles can be a distraction and potentially cause accidents and issues if insurance companies need to get involved.

“If someone hits you because of that and says, ‘Hey, I couldn’t see them before that,’ I wouldn’t want to have to deal with insurance,” Simmer told the publication. “And then possibly not have your car taken care of after someone hits you.”

The Drive reported that decorating vehicles with Christmas lights is a trend that's sweeping the globe, growing popular in American cities and small towns in Europe.

According to the outlet, authorities in Wales summed it up by writing "we advise that you keep your Christmas tree lights on your Christmas tree and not on your car."

"Please remember to stay safe when celebrating this season!" the state's highway patrol wrote.