A new survey from AAA found that this holiday season, an estimated 84 million (33%) Americans plan to purchase a real Christmas tree and will be faced with the task of getting it home safely. Just like moving furniture, appliances or other large objects, transporting a tree is no different. If not properly secured, a tree can cause vehicle damage such as scratched paint, torn door seals or distorted window frames. Even worse, it could fly off or out of the vehicle and become a danger to other drivers. AAA’s survey revealed that 44% of Americans who plan to purchase a real Christmas tree will transport the tree using unsafe methods. This includes 20% who will tie the tree to the roof of their vehicle without using a roof rack and 24% who plan to place the tree in the bed of their pickup truck unsecured. Among those planning to purchase a live Christmas tree this year, 16% have previously experienced a Christmas tree falling off or out of their vehicle during transport. Previous research from AAA found that road debris caused more than 200,000 crashes during a four-year period, resulting in approximately 39,000 injuries and 500 deaths.
