# What was up with the lights on this truck? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 1, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277 "2025-12-01T01:59:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/101 "2025-12-05T00:58:16Z")
I wonder to what extent those Japanese trucks are legally permitted to be driving on the road with the full Vegas lightshow operating. And, thus, whether I consider those to be tacky or not, I don’t think that something putting out that level of light all over its chassis – much less something with all those different colors, patterns, etc. – should be operating on a public road at night with the lights on. I think it’s far too likely to be distracting to other drivers. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/102 "2025-12-05T00:59:56Z")
I like underglow lights, not enough to put them on my vehicle, though. The one downside is you can’t do anything wrong at night because you won’t be able to just blend into traffic & a sea of head & tail lights. They offer a soft glow under the car; if done right, you shouldn’t even be able to see the bulb. Not like what’s [driving](https://townsquare.media/site/706/files/2024/12/attachment-e-61.jpg) all around NY this time of year > [@enipla](#): > > Moose are worse. Deer cause a lot more $ damage, injury & deaths than moose do because of the total # of accidents. Those long-legged, white-tailed rats are _everywhere_ where moose are only (sometimes) seen in northern rural areas. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/103 "2025-12-05T01:05:12Z")
Yeah, but if you hit a deer, you are unlikely to do worse than to total your car. If you hit a moose there’s a good chance you die. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/104 "2025-12-05T01:05:28Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I think it’s far too likely to be distracting to other drivers. I’m not sure what I would make of one of those coming up behind me and seeing them in my rear-view mirror at night. I’d probably spend longer than I should looking at it in my rear-view than I should though. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/105 "2025-12-05T01:08:39Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yeah, but if you hit a deer, you are unlikely to do worse than to total your car. If you hit a moose there’s a good chance you die. Wrong. [Deer are responsible for the deaths of about 440 of the estimated 458 Americans killed in physical confrontations with wildlife in an average year](https://njfb.org/news/fear-the-deer-crash-data-illuminates-americas-deadliest-animal/) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/106 "2025-12-05T01:09:03Z")
This article > **[Dekotora: the Japanese subculture of decorating trucks with neon lights and...](https://www.tennders.com/blog/dekotora-the-japanese-subculture-of-decorating-trucks-with-neon-lights-and-bright-colors)** > > Artist Julie Glassberg's photo report explains the beginnings of this unique culture of upholstered trucks and blaring lights. You can enjoy the story here. Says > Today, Japanese regulations prohibit such decorations. The road safety and practical functionality issues generated by these vehicles are evident. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/107 "2025-12-05T01:09:22Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Moose are worse. I can’t believe no one has made the “a Møøse once bit my sister” joke yet. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/108 "2025-12-05T01:12:18Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Wrong. [Deer are responsible for the deaths of about 440 of the estimated 458 Americans killed in physical confrontations with wildlife in an average year](https://njfb.org/news/fear-the-deer-crash-data-illuminates-americas-deadliest-animal/) That’s not a number which disproves @puzzlegal 's comment. I am certain that there are far more deer-auto collisions in the U.S. than there are moose-auto collisions – and, thus, most Americans who die when their car hits an animal are hitting a deer. The relevant number would be: what percent of deer-auto collisions lead to serious injury or death to the occupants of the vehicle, and how does that compare to the injury/fatality percentage in moose-auto collisions. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/109 "2025-12-05T01:14:33Z")
Well…per your article 2 million deer are hit per year in the US and 440 people are killed. 0.022% of deer hits result in a human death. If we assume the other 18 are moose hits (no idea, just the easy numbers we have on hand) then: 800 moose hits happen per year in the US. 2.25% result in a human death. Moose sure seem a lot more dangerous to hit. Just you are a lot, lot less likely to hit one. - [Traffic accidents involving moose are 13 times more likely to result in human death than crashes with deer](https://www.facs.org/media-center/press-releases/2019/moose031419/#:~:text=There%20has%20been%20an%20average,1998%252C%20according%20to%20study%20authors.) ETA: > 800 moose hits happen per year in the US. > > 2.25% result in a human death. I got those numbers a bit wrong… Seems more like 1300 hits per year in the US so: 1.38% deaths per hit. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/110 "2025-12-05T01:17:43Z")
> No realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse > with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given > her by Svenge - her brother-in-law - an Oslo dentist and > star of many Norwegian møvies: “The Høt Hands of an Oslo > Dentist”, “Fillings of Passion”, “The Huge Mølars of Horst > Nordfink”. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/111 "2025-12-05T01:22:20Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The relevant number would be: what percent of deer-auto collisions lead to serious injury or death to the occupants of the vehicle, and how does that compare to the injury/fatality percentage in moose-auto collisions. That depends where you are. In my state, the number of moose collisions is almost nil. It’s about as common as a [bald eagle dropping a cat thru a windshield](https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/motorist-north-carolina-tells-911-bald-eagle-drop-127757162). ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/112 "2025-12-05T01:23:41Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I think those are tacky and ugly, but don’t see any reason to ban them. Imagine you’re on a 2 lane highway behind a semi passing another semi. In front of that semi is a blinding night show that floods your lane with light. You don’t see this until you’re passing it because the truck in front of you blocks the light. This is what happened to me. It was a serious WTF moment. What I perceived was something bright coming into my lane. Brighter-than-headlight bright. It was a box truck with a jumbo-tron tacked onto the side and it was playing a commercial of some kind. So it could go from black to daylight without any notice. If you want to park something like that in a parking lot and watch the Superbowl then more power to ya. I doesn’t belong on a highway at night. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/113 "2025-12-05T01:26:22Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > That depends where you are. In my state, the number of moose collisions is almost nil. It’s about as common as a [bald eagle dropping a cat thru a windshield](https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/motorist-north-carolina-tells-911-bald-eagle-drop-127757162). I forget where I saw it when looking this up but Alaska is easily #1 for this and Maryland and New Hampshire (in some combination) are #2. But sure, definitely depends where you live. No moose where I live so my chances are near zero unless one escapes from a zoo (I don’t think our zoos even have one). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/114 "2025-12-05T01:27:30Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > That depends where you are. Of course. The point is that deer are common across much of the U.S., and thus, so are deer-vehicle collisions. Moose are uncommon-to-non-existent in much of the U.S. So, a number that says that most of the people who die in a collision with an animal had hit a deer tells us nothing about how likely hitting a deer is to lead to a human fatality, compared to hitting a moose. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/115 "2025-12-05T02:21:52Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > The only very cool use of it (still) that I can think of is Rolls Royce makes it so the RR logo at the center of their hubcap doesn’t spin so anyone can easily read the RR logo as you speed down the road. > > If I had a Rolls Royce I’d want that bit of bling. Yeah, those are cool. Subtle. Unlike dubs. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Well…what are the limits to it? Apparently there is a sub-culture in Japan where truckers festoon their rigs with lights: Those aren’t trucks. Those are ginormous rolling slot machines. 😉 > [@Spiderman](#): > > The one downside is you can’t do anything wrong at night because you won’t be able to just blend into traffic & a sea of head & tail lights. Not really. Do your dastardly deed with all the underglows turned on. Then a couple blocks away, turn them off. The witnesses will be most likely to remember what was most unique about your car: the underglow. And less likely to have noticed what make, model , year, or color. So now you’re a non-descript car of an an unknown unnoticed type bending just great into regular traffic. Now if your vehicle is also a jacked-up pickup truck with huge trump flags and huge chrome vertical exhaust stacks, well … you’re gonna need better cloaking than just turning off your glows. 🤦‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2025, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/116 "2025-12-07T04:44:17Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Do all you glow-haters complain about semi trucks festooned with 1000 lights? I’d hate to be the person who has to verify they all work at inspection time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/117 "2025-12-07T13:21:59Z")
I was out driving around last night and saw two glows. Both just driving down the street at separate times in separate places, not part of any kind of group. And yes, there in the commercial district of suburbia, the signage and lighting from the retailers and eateries fronting the boulevard was brighter and more distracting than the glows were. But we’re all used to ignoring lit-up storefronts alongside the curb. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/118 "2025-12-08T15:01:33Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > I’d hate to be the person who has to verify they all work at inspection time. 🙂 I’ve installed a 6-figures #of bulbs (professional) light show. Once installed & raised up into position the light are unreachable; do you have any idea what kind of checking, double-checking, rechecking, & then checking again we do to make sure all bulbs are working at installation time we do? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/119 "2025-12-08T16:18:33Z")
As said upthread, underglows are common here. I see them often. Tying this thread in with the later stages of this other thread where we got to talking about golf cars as low speed local urban/suburban cars: > [@Is it a terrible idea to invest in this micromobility (hybrid electric tricycle) equity fundraiser?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-terrible-idea-to-invest-in-this-micromobility-hybrid-electric-tricycle-equity-fundraiser/1025328): > > So there’s this company that used to make these semi-enclosed electric hybrid tricycles called “ELFs”: [https://wefunder.com/organic.transit](https://wefunder.com/organic.transit)[[image] ](https://fightingignorance.org/9f600667-3a00-4384-a518-b4ee0a1ff423-invest-in-organic-transit-elf-solar-vehicle-safer-than-a-bike-more-affordable-than-a-car-wefunder-home-of-the-community-round-december-02-07-03-02-am-2x.jpg)[[image] ](https://fightingignorance.org/48c149e2-d28f-4809-b7ad-ece299149fe7-image.png) That original company made and sold 850 of these, then floundered after the company was sold and production shuttered around the time of Covid. A few years later, the original founders are restarting production, this time trying to crowdsource funding from pri… Yesterday evening I saw something for the first time. A golf cart with underglows. Looked good. Made it stand out a little better in the lighting chaos of an entertainment district. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277/120 "2025-12-08T16:41:08Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I forget where I saw it when looking this up but Alaska is easily #1 for this and Maryland and New Hampshire (in some combination) are #2. You must mean Maine, not Maryland. Maine has many moose. Maryland, not so many. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-the-lights-on-this-truck/1025277.md?page=7)