Around the holidays, putting up Christmas or Hanukkah lights and decorations is a fun way to spread cheer. While decorations being beautiful and fun to look at, they are quite distracting for drivers—especially teen drivers.
Senior Izzy Hernandez, member of Students Against Distracted Driving (SADD) and Click Clack Front and Back, explains the positive side of holiday lights while driving at night. “It probably lights up the streets more so you can see things that you would’ve had a harder time seeing in the dark,” Hernandez says. Even with headlights and high beams, it may be difficult to drive at night and be able to see all your surroundings. Senior Tina Irizarry adds to this sentiment by saying how holiday lights make “seeing the road a little easier if you’re in the dark, so if I’m at the top of a hill and someone has lights on their house towards the bottom, I can see how far I am from that point of the street.”
Memorable lights and decorations can also serve as landmarks for drivers, particularly those driving in unfamiliar neighborhoods. For teen drivers especially, finding your destination and getting lost may be the biggest challenge. These lights may assist new drivers in knowing where to go. Senior Mikayla Amoruso mentions how lights can “help drivers with directions if they become lost and can’t find their way around. Drivers may be able to remember the lights they drove by or around, which can help them lead in the right direction.”
On the contrary, there are several disadvantages to driving at night with holiday lights. Hernandez adds that some hazards may include that “it can make people, especially teens, distracted at times on the road because they want to see the pretty lights next to them.” Irizarry agrees with the potential distraction by mentioning how she “know[s] a lot of people, including myself, tend to look over to see decorations instead of focus[ing] on what’s in front of me.” Watching the lights and taking notice of them may cause the drivers to lose focus on the road and their surroundings. This can lead to an increase in dangerous driving or accidents. Getting distracted by the lights can be a serious issue, as it may cause the driver to not see other people, cars, or animals. With holiday lights being bright as well, many drivers’ vision may become impaired, increasing the risk of possible accidents.
Holiday season coincides with winter weather conditions, which pose an additional hazard to drivers. When it snows, and when the snow melts and refreezes, it may create black ice. This form of ice is more dangerous than normal ice due to the fact that it is nearly impossible to spot. According to the Peruzzi Collision Center, “about 76,000 drivers are injured during a winter weather crash every year.” This substantial number shouldn’t be taken lightly and could be decreased by drivers being aware of the several precautions they can take when driving. Based on the Department of Law and Public Safety, you should “drive slow, turn on your headlights, and increase your following distance.” When the holiday season rolls around next year, remember to keep your eyes on the road, and wait until you are at a full stop to check out those festive lights. In all seasons, defensive driving techniques, regular car maintenance, and alertness are key for proper winter road safety.
