With Australia and New Zealand resuming travel between our countries, it may be timely to remind visiting Kiwis of some of Australia’s more obscure road rules. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt Australians to learn them – some of these I’d never heard of, either.
But you can be sure the local jacks will be looking for any excuse to get the cash-registers ringing issue fines, this silly season.
So, if you’re on your big Aussie road trip, here are some of the things that can land you a fine in different states.
Don’t throw apple cores or banana peels out the car window! As a line in an old anti-littering ad went, It’ll decompose, I s’pose. However true this might be of apple cores and banana peels, “dropping injurious matter on a road” in Queensland can still cost you $533 and two demerit points. (I’m not sure of the law in Tasmania, but, judging by the abundance of apple trees growing wild on the roadside, no one takes much notice. Feel free to stop and help yourself, if they’re fruiting.)
You might want to pack a ruler or tape measure when you’re driving in Queensland, too. If you’re more than three metres away from your car, your windows need to be up with a gap no greater than 5cm. Yes, people have been fined for that.
If you’re tempted to do the traditional farewell honk of the horn as you leave a friend’s, think again. Ditto if some mongrel cuts you off on the highway. Each of those is an “improper” use of a horn. In NSW, you’re only supposed to use your horn if you’re warning other road users (or animals) of your approach. In the past five years, more than 800 people have been fined for improper use of a horn in NSW. Similar laws apply in all states.
Likewise, if you duck out to pick something up and leave your keys in the ignition, you can be pinged. About 1,000 people in NSW cop a $114 fine every year. Other states have similar rules, even Tasmania. Scofflaw that I am, I regularly run the ragged edge of disaster in my little country town.
Even weirder are the rules around using your phone to pay for drive-through takeaway. Turns out that it’s still technically an illegal use of a mobile phone while driving. The law is quite specific: if you’re going to swipe your phone to pay for your next McChuck’s, make sure your engine is turned off and the handbrake is on first; otherwise, you could fork out an extra $500 or more.
Funny, I’ve never noticed the coppers turning their engines off…
Despite the mythological image of the Outback Aussie, almost all Australians live in the Big Smoke. But we’ve still got a lot of rules around driving and animals.
As far as I know, the law doesn’t forbid you from picking up your Maccas drive-through on horseback, although McDonald’s in several countries have been known to decline to serve horse-riding customers.
But it is incumbent on drivers to give way to a balky or otherwise difficult-to-control horse. The rider is supposed to signal the driver by raising a hand and pointing to their horse. If they do, you must steer the car as far to the left as possible, turn off the engine and wait until the horse is far enough away that you’re in no danger of startling it.
In many rural areas, it’s still common to see farmers driving livestock along roads. Some areas post signs warning drivers to give way to stock and, depending on the state, farmers are required to warn drivers with signs on the road, or flashing lights. Many will post “lollipop drovers” ahead of stock, to warn cars to slow down.
Queensland, for one, gives right of way to livestock. Should you collide with a cow or sheep, you will be unable to claim damages against the farmer.
On the other hand, some councils in Tasmania at least require farmers to clean up after their animals on the road.
For drivers, animals like dogs must be seated or restrained in an appropriate area of the vehicle. If an animal is injured because it was unrestrained, the RSPCA can issue fines up $5,500 and owners could face up to six months’ jail.
Finally, for any of you tempted to be arseholes on Australian roads: states like NSW and Victoria can fine drivers who speed up when someone is trying to overtake them.
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