MOTORISTS are being warned that giving their cars a festive makeover could land them with some unwanted Christmas presents – a £5,000 fine and penalty points on their licence.

Millions of Brits like to get into the spirit of the festive season by decorating their homes with tons of tinsel, flashing fairy lights and Yuletide ornaments. The trend also extends to vehicles – with reindeer antlers, huge Santa hats and even Christmas trees becoming more common sights on the nation’s highways in the run-up to the big day. But while these car decorations will make fellow motorists smile, if they become dislodged and fall onto the carriageway they could obstruct another vehicle. If this then causes an accident you could be charged with careless driving as it comes within the remit of “driving without reasonable consideration for other road users”.

Duncan McClure Fisher, founder and CEO of leading motoring association MotorEasy, said: “Christmas is one of the favourite times of year for many families, so it’s understandable that people want to celebrate in style. But no matter what time of year it is, we still have a responsibility to be respectful of motoring laws and of other drivers. Giving your motor a festive makeover might seem like harmless fun, but it could potentially be a hazard to other drivers. If that happens it will end up costing you some serious money in fines, put penalty points on your licence and, more importantly, put other road users at risk if things go wrong.”

Driving without reasonable consideration for other road users carries with it a punishment of up to nine penalty points and a £5,000 fine. In serious cases it could also result in a disqualification from driving. According to the Road Traffic Act, anything that obstructs the vision of a driver in any way is considered a hazard. If caught there is a £100 fine, which can rocket up to £1,000, and three penalty points if the case is challenged in court and the driver loses. Even those toying with the idea of putting some mini plastic elves or reindeer on the dashboard to give the kids a thrill may fall foul of the law – because these could be considered ‘modifications’ and therefore invalidate an insurance policy if not declared. That means you would not be covered in the event of an accident, and even if you remain incident-free your premiums are likely to be driven up.