Victorian driver pulled over on Melbourne freeway for car covered in Christmas lights

A Melbourne driver dodged a $790 fine after police pulled over his Christmas-lit BMW on the Monash Freeway on 30 November.

The car, decorated with hundreds of twinkling lights, was flagged as a potential hazard for distracting other drivers.

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Senior Constable Josh Scarcella from Prahran Highway Patrol said that while the driver did not exceed the speed limit, the car was considered defective. 

“He (the driver) said, ‘I’ve been waiting for this to happen, to see how I go,’ or something along those lines,” Scarcella said.

“They (the driver and passenger) were both in good spirits, and we had a laugh with them,” he added.

The festive decorations were powered by a dual battery system, complete with an inverter and extension lead, with approximately 1,000 pieces of tape holding the lights in place.

Police ordered the lights to be removed immediately, but the tape was so strong it required a heat gun to avoid damaging the car’s paint. 

Scarcella asked the pair to send him a photo of the car with the lights removed within 24 hours before letting them go.

They received a warning rather than a $790 fine and a defect notice.

Scarcella clarified that his decision was driven by the festive spirit rather than any ongoing industrial action by police in the state.

“They sent me a selfie about an hour later of them pulling them all off.”

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