Back in the day when my sister got her driver's license, and a few years later when I got mine, it was not uncommon to use the heck out of our rearview mirrors.

Beads, headbands, garters (well, neither one of us had GARTERS hanging from our mirrors), Hawaiian leis, and, of course, air fresheners were common items. (The latter maybe still is.)  And it wasn't for the purpose of just having to put these things somewhere. I mean, who NEEDS a lei or a garter in their vehicle?

Oh, and lanyards. Forgot about lanyards. But, anyway, there was no UTILITY to the mirrors; that was all for decor. But state laws don't really care about decor, nor should they.

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I was out earlier and saw someone next to me with a couple of masks hanging from the mirror and wondered how long it would be before the motorist would be given a gentle reminder that that is a no-no.

And yes, hanging masks, beads, leis, refrigerators, cookie jars...anything, remains against the law in Kentucky. It says so on page 16 of the Kentucky Drivers Manual. (Oh Lord, I can just imagine what that guy who gave me my road test back in the day would have said if he'd found anything hanging on my mirror. I already had gotten on his bad side by not perfectly parallel-parking my mom's big old Impala.)

AAA has been particularly concerned and that sort of answers a question I'd had about this particular development.

When I saw that mask hanging from that mirror, it occurred to me that I don't usually see items hanging from mirrors anymore...except masks. I guess it's a natural gesture to just do that. But it IS an obstruction and should be avoided, for obvious reasons.

So just put the mask in the console between the front seats or the glove box or your pocket.

Drive safe and take down that air freshener.

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