ORLANDO, Fla. – Trooper Steve Montiero, a traffic safety expert for News 6, is dedicated to answering viewer questions and offering road safety tips. His goal is to enhance driving skills across Central Florida through education.

On Tuesday, Trooper Steve addressed a query concerning vehicle decorations, specifically focusing on festive holiday lights.

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“The holiday season is upon us, and lights are everywhere—from homes to trees, and even cars,” Trooper Steve remarked. “Each year, I receive inquiries about the legality of vehicle decorations with Christmas lights. Since I’m on the road daily, I thought it’d be useful to clarify this topic once and for all.”

The concise response is that Florida permits certain vehicle decorations, but there’s a crucial regulation that drivers must be aware of.

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Under Florida Statute 316.2397, only emergency vehicles can display red, blue or white lights visible from the front of the vehicle.

If you wrap your grille, roof rack or bumper in lights that look even remotely similar to law-enforcement or fire-rescue colors, you could get pulled over faster than Santa sliding down a chimney.

There’s a little more to it, though. Technically, some Christmas lights can be used if they’re not flashing, not strobing, and don’t cover or obstruct your required lights like your brake lamps, turn signals or tag illumination. Everything also has to be secured properly so it doesn’t come loose on the roadway.

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But here’s where I want to be honest with you: Even if a setup is technically allowed, it can be really confusing for other drivers. A string of blinking colors in traffic, especially at night can distract someone just long enough to cause a real problem. And when our roads are already busy this time of year, adding more visual chaos doesn’t help anyone.

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So here’s my take: Keep the holiday cheer going but stick to non-light-up decorations if you want to dress up your vehicle. Magnets, wreaths, bows, antlers — all of those keep you festive without adding any risk out on the roadway.