The spooky season is well and truly upon us with Halloween just a few days away.
Scary Halloween decorations have begun popping up all over the UK in houses, businesses and even in/on cars.
But experts have warned UK motorists to avoid certain Halloween decorations as it could land you a hefty fine, points on your licence or even result in a driving ban.
Halloween decorations on your car that could land you a fine, ban or points on your licence
The automotive experts at Leasing Options have analysed TikTok and Google searches to determine the most popular ways to decorate your car for Halloween in 2023.
Halloween decorations for cars have seen a 62% spike in popularity based on Google searches in the past month, and the hashtag #HalloweenCar has over 15.4 million views on TikTok.
But Leasing Options has said while Halloween decorations can be fun, they must be used properly or risk landing drivers with a fine or worse.
Here are the most popular ways of decorating your car this Halloween and the penalty drivers could receive if not done correctly.
Halloween stickers
The automotive experts said: "Stickers are a great way to temporarily decorate your car, with people opting to add a touch of blood, handprints and creepy crawlies to their vehicle at Halloween.
"If you do this, make sure to purchase stickers that won’t damage your paintwork or leave residue on your windows."
When placing stickers on your windows, you must also make sure they don’t obstruct your view of the road or your surroundings.
If it does you could be deemed to be driving a vehicle in dangerous conditions and land yourself one of the following penalties:
- Fined up to £2,500
- Be banned from driving
- Get three penalty points for driving a vehicle in dangerous conditions
Also, if you are in an accident caused by an obstruction to your view - caused by stickers and decorations - you may invalidate your insurance.
Arm sticking out of the boot
Leasing Options experts said: "It might be Halloween, but staging a fake arm sticking out of your boot is a controversial decoration that could land you in a lot of trouble.
"Despite being one of the most popular choices of Halloween decorations for your car, doing this is inconsiderate towards other drivers and pedestrians."
The Road Traffic Act 1988 states that driving "without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place" is an offence that could lead to you being stopped by the police and given a fine of up to £5,000.
You could also be fined an additional £1,000 if the fake arm covers your number plate.
Covering your car in spiderwebs
People are now adding spiderwebs to their cars as well to help them get in the Halloween spirit.
There are a variety of places you can place the spiderwebs inside and outside of your car, including on door handles, headrests and across the boot shelf.
However, the experts warned: "If you plan on using spiderwebs to decorate your car this year, make sure you can still see the road and your surroundings."
Similar to the stickers if your view is obstructed by the spiderwebs you could be found to be driving a vehicle in dangerous conditions and land yourself a £2500 fine, be banned from driving or get three penalty points on your licence.
Covering your seats with spooky seat covers
"Halloween-themed car seat covers are a great way to add a little spookiness to your car’s interior," said Leasing Options.
"You can find some that have faces on the headrest, the perfect way to spook passersby when you’re not in your car.
"These are a great option for decorating your car for Halloween, as long the car seat cover isn’t offensive and doesn’t interfere with your driving."
Turning the boot into a Halloween scene
Many people park their cars on their drive with the boot open to show off amazing Halloween scenes inside for trick-or-treaters.
The experts said: "It may sound obvious, but it is important to ensure you only do this when your vehicle is stationary.
"If you plan on travelling anywhere in your car while the boot is decorated, it is important to make sure everything is secure, your number plate is visible, and you can still see out of your rearview mirror."
If not you are seen to be breaking any of those rules you could be fined £2500 and receive three points on your licence for dangerous driving.
Changing the headlight colours
Some people may be looking to change the colour of the lights on their car for Halloween.
However, it is important to consider different lights can be illegal.
The experts at Leaing Options explained: "It is an offence to have red lights at the front of your car, white lights to the rear (unless reversing), or neon lights under or on the side of your car.
"If you have these, you can receive a £50 Fixed Penalty Notice.
"There are certain colours that are only allowed to be used by certain job roles, for example, green lights can only be fitted on Medical Practitioner vehicles, whilst blue lights can only be used by emergency vehicles.
"If you are caught using these, you risk a £50 Fixed Penalty Notice and could be reported to court."
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