Earlier this month I was contacted by Santa Claus from his North Pole location. Santa asked me to repeat a column that was distributed 10 years ago.

He said that drivers have been reluctant to yield the right of way to him and his reindeer, with Rudolph leading the team on Christmas Eve. When drivers don’t clear the path for Santa, the congestion causes him to be delayed and increases the risk that he will not be able to complete all deliveries of Christmas presents on time.

So I am very happy to repeat that article from 10 years ago at Santa’s request. The last thing I want is for Santa to be involved in any crash on Christmas Eve, and be delayed enough to miss some families with his deliveries. I am happy to help in any way I can. So, here is the column from December 2009.

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With so much traffic around the world these days, did you ever wonder how Santa manages to get to everyone on Christmas Eve? Of course, his reindeer can fly, which means they don’t have to worry about traffic while in the air, but when they get to cities and villages, they can’t just fly, so that’s where Rudolph comes in very handy.

Originally, Rudolph’s red nose was used on a very foggy Christmas Eve so Santa could see where he was going. That was many decades ago, long before congested highways and long traffic jams. However, today Rudolph’s red nose is more useful as an emergency signal, giving him, the other eight reindeer and Santa the right of way over all other vehicles. This is why Santa doesn’t have any more trouble getting around now than he did decades ago.

So if you are out driving this coming Tuesday night, which is Christmas Eve, and you see a flashing red light, or just a red light moving very fast, pull off to the side and yield the right of way — it just might be Santa and his eight reindeer, led by Rudolph with his red nose so bright. And certainly you wouldn’t want to be accused of delaying Santa and denying children their gifts on Christmas morning, would you?

Know the law and drive safely, not just on Christmas Eve but at all times. And to everyone, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, have a very happy and safe holiday season, from the Franklin County Traffic Safety Board.