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Martha Halemba of Novelty pulls a Christmas tree in a wagon at Manners Christmas Tree Farm in New Lyme Township in 2019 as Kirk Price, back left of Chagrin Falls, Peter Halemba of Novelty and Sarah Price of Chagrin Falls follow after selecting their tree. It is important to adhere to safety rules when place a tree on the roof of a vehicle, according to AAA.

Martha Halemba of Novelty pulls a Christmas tree in a wagon at Manners Christmas Tree Farm in New Lyme Township in 2019 as Kirk Price, back left of Chagrin Falls, Peter Halemba of Novelty and Sarah Price of Chagrin Falls follow after selecting their tree. It is important to adhere to safety rules when place a tree on the roof of a vehicle, according to AAA.

As Ashtabula County residents head out to find the perfect Christmas tree, AAA urges motorists to make sure they safely secure their trees during transport.

This week and next are typically the most popular weekends for families to get their Christmas trees. As with any large object, making sure a tree is properly secured will help prevent it from becoming dangerous projectiles and a hazard to other drivers.

“A live tree can complete your home’s holiday décor in a memorable way, but motorists need to use caution when transporting it,” said Lori Cook, safety advisor, AAA East Central. “Negligence could mean possibly putting other lives at risk and setting yourself up for costly repairs to your own vehicle.”

Rick Bender, owner of Bender Tree Farm in Sheffield Township, said he supplies roping for customers who don’t any, and he helps lift the tree into the customer’s vehicle.

“The vehicles with racks on top are safe,” he said. “I always tell them to wrap the tree all around.”

Bender hates to see people with small cars just tie a tree on top.

“If it’s a smaller tree, put it in the trunk,” he said. “If you have no roof racks, leave the doors open and tie the rope through the car.”

More than 200,000 crashes involved debris on U.S. roads over a four-year period, resulting in 39,000 injuries and 500 deaths, according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety research.

Drivers can also face hefty fines and penalties if an unsecured tree falls off their vehicle. Every state has laws that make it illegal for items to fall from a vehicle while on the road. Penalties result in fines ranging from $10 to $5,000, with at least 16 states listing jail as a possible punishment.

Additionally, an improperly secured tree can cost motorists as much as $1,500 in repairs.

Twine that is wrapped around trees and looped through door jambs or open windows can cause permanent wearing and warping, and branches can scratch a vehicle’s paint.

AAA tips for safely securing a holiday tree:

• Use the right vehicle. It’s best to transport a holiday tree on top of a vehicle equipped with a roof rack. However, if you do not have a roof rack, use the bed of a pickup truck, or an SUV, van or minivan that can fit the tree inside with all doors closed.

• Use quality tie-downs. Bring strong rope or nylon ratchet straps to secure the tree to your vehicle’s roof rack. Avoid the lightweight twine offered by many tree lots.

• Protect the tree. Have the tree wrapped in netting before loading it. If netting is unavailable, secure loose branches with rope or twine.

• Protect your vehicle. Use an old blanket to prevent paint scratches and protect the vehicle finish.

• Point the trunk towards the front. Always place the tree on a roof rack or in a pickup bed with the bottom of the trunk facing the front of the vehicle.

“It’s important to keep the trunk towards the front,” Bender said. “It prevents the tree from blowing off.”

• Tie it down. Secure the tree at its bottom, center and top. At the bottom, use fixed vehicle tie-down points and loop around the trunk above a lower branch, to prevent any side-to-side or front-to-rear movement. The center and top tie downs should be installed in a similar manner.

• Give it the tug test. Before you leave the lot, give the tree several strong tugs from various directions to make sure it is secured in place and will not blow away.

• Drive slowly. Take the back roads, if possible. Higher speeds create significant airflow that can damage your tree and challenge even the best tie-down methods.

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