“It’s Uncle Santa!” 'Rudolka' made his nephew happy... When he does this, he gets 'punishment'

To celebrate the end of the year, 'Rudolka', a car decorated like Rudolph, is spotted on the road. While there is a positive response from citizens, there are also criticisms that it may be subject to crackdowns. Experts expressed the opinion that legal punishment could be imposed if license plates are covered or decorations fall, resulting in an accident.

According to the distribution industry on the 27th, decorations to decorate vehicles for the end of the year are being sold at online shopping malls. In particular, deer antlers and red nose ornaments inspired by Rudolph are popular every year. Vehicles using this decoration are also called Rudolka, a combination of Rudolph and Car.

On social media, citizens brag about Rudolka or post posts about witnessing it. Citizen A said, “I dressed up as Santa and transformed into Rudolph to deliver a Christmas gift to my nephew.” Citizen B also said, “Even though there is no snow in Cheongdo, this year it is Rudolka to create a Christmas atmosphere.”

The end of the year is a time when purchases of vehicle decorations increase rapidly. Mr. C, an official at an ornament sales company, said, “I know we sell the most in the country,” and added, “The two weeks from December 10th to just before Christmas are the peak time. At one point, we sold more than 1,800 items a day.”

There are also concerns about the possibility of being subject to crackdowns or being illegal. Related inquiries are also posted in car enthusiast cafes and blogs. To address concerns, some sales websites attached an explanation that they had received a response directly from the National Police Agency that it was not illegal. Mr. C said, “There are cases where we had customers who were cracked down on by local governments around the year before last, so we resolved the issue ourselves.”

According to the National Police Agency, installing Rudolka decorations themselves is not a problem. However, if it △ blocks the view of the window too much, △ blurs the view to the extent that the lights interfere with the driving of other vehicles, △ decorations are not properly fixed, or △ covers the license plate of the vehicle, it may be subject to crackdown. Promotional images posted on some retailers' websites show decorations covering the license plate, but if you follow suit, you may be subject to crackdowns.

The Road Traffic Act stipulates that vehicles with devices that interfere with the function of traffic enforcement equipment or other devices that may interfere with safe driving or that do not meet the standards must not be driven. In addition to the license plate, if the driver's view of the side mirror and windshield is blocked by decorations, it may be a violation of the Road Traffic Act.

An official from the National Police Agency explained, "Generally, illegal attachments are subject to a fine of 20,000 won, but if they interfere with the function of traffic control equipment by blocking the license plate, you can be imprisoned for up to 6 months, fined up to 2 million won, or detained." In some cases, decorations that emit LED lights may be considered installation of lighting devices that are not approved under the Automobile Management Act, so you must carefully consider whether they can be operated while driving.

Experts agreed that caution should be exercised in cases where structures fall and cause damage to other vehicles, especially when driving at high speeds. This is because it can immediately lead to civil and criminal disadvantages. Jeong Hong-cheol, a lawyer at Daeryun Law Firm's Drunk Traffic Accident Group, said, "A falling attachment is considered a falling object on the road, and if the windshield of the car behind is broken or an accident occurs as a result, there is a high possibility that the driver of the vehicle with the attachment will be 100% responsible for negligence."

Kim Gyeong-hwan, a lawyer at Withrow Law Firm, also said, “If (the attachment) is recognized as cargo, it could be considered a ‘falling object accident,’ one of the 12 gross negligence cases, and could easily lead to punishment.”
 

Reporter Park Jin-ho (zzino@mt.co.kr)

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"It's Uncle Santa!" 'Rudolka' who made his nephew happy... When he does this, he is 'punished' (Shortcut)