{"id":7350,"date":"2017-02-07T07:23:42","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T21:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.privatefleet.com.au\/?p=7350"},"modified":"2020-06-20T00:45:20","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T14:45:20","slug":"fuzzy-dice-and-other-watchacallums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/blog\/fuzzy-dice-and-other-watchacallums\/","title":{"rendered":"Fuzzy Dice And Other Watchacallums"},"content":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.privatefleet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/fuzzy-dice.jpg\")
Mascots?\u00a0 Decorations?\u00a0 Danglers?\u00a0 Actually, the English language doesn\u2019t have an actual name for those ornaments that hang from the rear view mirror.\u00a0 Fuzzy dice are the iconic examples but the furry cubes aren\u2019t the only things we\u2019ve seen.\u00a0 As this post is going to discuss them and it\u2019s going to be boring to type out (and read) \u201cfuzzy dice or other items hanging from the rear view mirror\u201d every time, I\u2019m going to make up a word: danglers.\u00a0 Danglers will do.<\/p>\n
The most important issue relating to danglers is whether or not they are legal.\u00a0 The powers that be \u2013 and rightly so \u2013 take exception to anything that obscures the driver\u2019s vision.\u00a0 According to the Queensland police, anything that gets between you and the arc of the windscreen wipers is considered to block your vision and create a blind spot, and this applies to GPS units and mobile phone mounts as well as danglers (presumably, the heads-up displays that come in some luxury vehicles these days don\u2019t count).\u00a0 Roads and Maritime Services of NSW suggests that anything swinging and dangling will be distracting but doesn\u2019t actually have any specifications beyond \u201cthe driver must have the clearest possible view of the road particularly in poor lighting conditions at dusk, night or while driving in rain.\u201d In Victoria, they get a bit more specific: \u201cAny vehicle presented for a roadworthy inspection with any dangling objects hanging from the rear vision mirror should not be issued with a RWC until the objects are removed.\u201d South Australia\u2019s spec sheet has plenty to say about tinting and TV\/DVD screens but nothing about danglers.\u00a0 It\u2019s definitely illegal in Western Australia to have anything hanging from a rear view mirror (nice to have it spelled out so clearly and plainly!).\u00a0 Across the ditch in New Zealand, it seems to be OK.<\/p>\n
In short, it\u2019s probably best to leave the danglers off.<\/p>\n
However, I\u2019m not a total killjoy.\u00a0 If you can position the danglers where they won\u2019t obscure your vision or hit you in the head, then you can have them.\u00a0 This means that the danglers are going to have to be small, so those iconic fluffy dice are out.\u00a0 Nevertheless, there are still plenty of other options.<\/p>\n
Where did the tradition of hanging things from the windscreen come from?\u00a0 Historically and psychologically speaking, the origins of adding decorations to your form of transport are lost in the mists of time.\u00a0 Ancient Greek triremes had eyes painted on the front, old-fashioned sailing boats had their figureheads, warhorses were decked out with plumes and plough horses had collars covered with brass charms.\u00a0 Tricking out a car with something for luck or just for fun is just an extension of this.\u00a0 However, regarding the actual fuzzy dice, folklore has it that this was started by US fighter pilots in World War 2, who hung up the dice for good luck.\u00a0 Those who came back from the war carried the tradition over to their cars, which is why the fuzzy dice are such a 1950s thing.<\/p>\n
Danglers aren\u2019t limited to fuzzy dice.\u00a0 Even in places where it\u2019s legal, you don\u2019t see too many fuzzy dice, except on cars belonging to retro enthusiasts and a certain type of bogan.\u00a0 Air fresheners are a lot more popular and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, ranging from things shaped like pine trees and smelling of something described by advertising copywriters as pine trees (but doesn\u2019t really smell like an actual pine tree) through to handmade ceramic or fabric potpourri bags redolent of essential oils.<\/p>\n
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After that, of course, you are limited only by your imagination, your sense of taste and what\u2019s legal.\u00a0\u00a0 A quick glance through Pinterest and similar sites (from jurisdictions where they\u2019re legal, of course) throws up a good range of ideas that fall into two main categories, those for supernatural protection or luck or blessing or something of that sort.\u00a0 In other words, things that fall into the religious or spiritual category (and I\u2019m including New Age spirituality in here).\u00a0 Crosses, rosaries, crystals, angels, Native American spirit animals, Hamsa hands, Feng Shui mirrors, medallions of St Christopher (patron saint of travellers)\u2026 there are heaps of them to suit any set of beliefs.\u00a0 Technically, dream catchers would fall into this category but I thought these were only supposed to work for letting good dreams through and keeping nightmares out when you\u2019re asleep\u2026 If you\u2019re asleep at the wheel, you\u2019ve got more to worry about than a nightmare, mate.<\/p>\n
The second category includes anything that\u2019s hung up there just for fun because you like it and you think it looks nice. \u00a0Soft toys, bunches of dried flowers, skulls, you name it.\u00a0 The powers that be get particularly snippy about these if they\u2019re sparkly (disco balls, for example) because the twinkling and flashing in your eyes is distracting when you\u2019re on the road.<\/p>\n
A third category exists: safety signs and reminders.\u00a0 These are especially understandable in the case of taxis. But make sure that they\u2019re spelled correctly\u2026<\/p>\n
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