Safety tips for transporting your live Christmas tree home

JACKSON, TN (WNBJ) - Stores are gearing up for Christmas and ramping up their inventory with Christmas ornaments for your trees, but safety should be a top priority when getting festive and purchasing live Christmas trees.

“We had people in yesterday with Christmas music going and they are saying I’m getting in the Christmas spirit just walking around here,” said Lisa Kail, a sales employee with City Gift.

Lisa Kail works at City Gift in Humboldt where they sell ornaments for your Christmas trees, but safety should be top of mind when transporting live Christmas trees to your home.

“One and five respondents say that they have had a tree fall off of or out of a vehicle,” said Stephanie Milani, the TN Public Affairs Director with AAA - The Auto Club Group.

Trees falling into the roadways could present a very dangerous situation.

“Road debris has caused two hundred, thousand crashes between the years of 2011 and 2014 and that actually accounted for 500 deaths so again this is kind of serious. It could be a life-or-death situation,” said Milani, the TN Public Affairs Director with AAA - The Auto Club Group.

AAA has some tips on getting your tree home safely.

“So, you want to bring a blanket, you want to have some gloves and you want to make sure you have a rope or some tie-downs that you can use to secure the tree,“ said Milani, the TN Public Affairs Director with AAA - The Auto Club Group.

AAA also says the trunk of the tree should be facing the front of the car so that if the tree falls this will result in the least amount of damage to the car behind you. They give advice on the best way to secure your tree.

“Tie the tree down in three places so the trunk of the tree, the middle of the tree, and the top of the tree. You want to make sure all three of those areas are secure,” said Milani, the TN Public Affairs Director with AAA - The Auto Club Group.

When you’re taking your tree back home, AAA suggests driving slowly and taking less busy routes to avoid a lot of traffic.