Christmas Lights On Your Vehicle In Illinois: Legal Or Illegal?

We've looked at several "Legal or Illegal" questions about driving laws here in Illinois over the years. During the summer, we looked at the question of whether driving barefoot or in flip-flops was legal in our state (click here for the answer), and most recently, we checked to see if warming up your car in cold weather is legal or illegal in Illinois (click here for that answer).

Now let's look into the idea of decorating your car, truck, or van with holiday lights. Can you drive around Illinois in what's basically a moving, lit-up Christmas tree?

Before you say "I see it all the time, so it's gotta be okay," keep in mind that just because you see people doing something doesn't mean that they're following the law. Besides, like many questions, this doesn't have a simple yes or no answer.

Decorating A Vehicle With Anywhere From 100 To 10,000 Lights Or More Is A Time-Consuming, Labor-Intensive Job, So You'd Hate To Go To All Of That Effort Only To Get Pulled Over And Handed A Ticket, Right?

To bottom line things, that's pretty much what could and probably will happen to you if you've decided to give it a try this year...in most cases.

Let's get to the overall question of the legality of driving a vehicle decorated with Christmas lights in Illinois: It's totally illegal. The exception to that law would be if you're taking part in a holiday parade. You can decorate vehicles with holiday lights for parades in Illinois (as long as you're a legitimate participant).

It's Also Legal To Decorate A Vehicle With Holiday Lights As Long As You're Leaving It Parked, And Not Driving It Around Until You Remove The Lights

By the way, if driving around with holiday lights on your vehicle is something you've just got to do, and you'll move to another state if you have to---it won't help.

Not one state in the U.S. allows it.

Great Britain may be another story: