Car accidents and Christmas Lights!

[flirty41]

I was just wondering.......! With the trend now for people to decorate the outside of their houses with Christmas lights and figures, would anyone think there is an increase in car accidents as a result of drivers being distracted by flashing Santas and snowmen, and flying reindeer and the like??!!

[Cetti]

Sadly I think you could be right, flirty - only last night we were on our way home driving on a notorious death trap of a main road, when all of a sudden we were faced with vivid reindeer galloping over a roof and spiralling, changing coloured lights! Luckily my husband was driving and his concentration doesn't waver, but if it had been me, well......I dread to think!! This is only my opinion - the white lights are fine, but I feel the all singing and dancing flashing disco-type, multi-coloured productions should be kept away from major traffic routes. Just fallen off my soap box!!!!

[bimsey]

I personnally think people are going well over the top with their silly displays trying to beat the neighbours with 10,000 bulbs and endless wasted power displaying them all for about three months at a time whatever is it all about except "look at me" then they say they are doing it all for charity surely there are better ways of collecting for charity than subjecting us all to these garish displays.

[Gef]

I presume that if they are donig it for charity they must have some mechanism for collecting money. Why not just save on their electricity bill (never mind global warming) and send a cheque to charity.

[rja211077]

It's a midlife crisis thing I reckon. Bored schmucks with cr*p jobs and frigid wives. David Brent would decorate his starter home in Slough like this.

[Cactus]

I agree with everything that's been said here. There are a few houses "round are way" that have gone totally over the top with their decorations. Waste of money, waste of electricity, and probably most importantly - waste of the time it takes to put them up/take them down. Don't get me wrong, i like Xmas as much as the next man (as long as the next man's called Ebeneezer) and i decorate the INSIDE of my flat, i even put a few lights in the windows. But as for climbing up on the roof... no spankyou.

[flirty41]

Thanks for all your comments. I must own up to having outside lights - but 'tasteful' white ones I hasten to add! However, like Cactus, there are houses around which seem to be completely covered! In particular, one house has had progressively more and more lights added to it each year. This year, the whole of the front is covered in white lights, all the bushes and trees in the garden are draped in white lights, the little chained fence is also festooned in white lights and, this year, there is an ENORMOUS blow-up/lit-up Santa Claus with equally enormous snowmen on either side of it! And guess where this house is - on the approach to a roundabout! I noticed a road sign on the roundabout had been knocked over just recently - any connection, I wonder!!!!! :-)

[gazzawazza]

I see where everyone is coming from on this, and although I like some displays surely taste and tackiness (like beauty) is in the eye of the beholder. Some people would argue that they look nice. I would say let them get on with it if that's what they want to do and don't forget that it's the driver's responsibility to remain focused on the road!

[flirty41]

Oh, TW, I agree with gazzawazza - beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I'm sure the people who put up their displays think they are wonderful, and some of them *are* very attractive and creative. However, whereas advertising hoardings and shop displays are year-round sights, the sudden appearance of brightly lit houses at the beginning of December could be a bit of a distraction to *some* drivers! Anyway, my question was only asked tongue in cheek, as a bit of Christmas fun!! :-)