The obscure road rules you don’t even realise you are breaking

Drink driving and mobile phone laws are constantly drummed into drivers, but there are other bizarre rules many don’t even know they’re breaking.

There are certain road rules drivers are constantly being reminded about, with drink driving, mobile phone use and speeding being just a few.

But there are lots of others that are rarely brought up and as a result are often overlooked by motorists.

The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) analysed data released by the Department of Transport and Main Roads to find out some of the more obscure rules drivers are regularly breaking.

Throughout 2018 hundreds of people in Queensland were fined for something as simple as resting their arm outside the car window.

From January to December last year 327 were fined for a driver or passenger having a body part out of the car window. Doing this in Queensland could cost you a $126 fine.

If you or your passenger have a part of your body resting outside of the car it could cost you big time. Picture: iStock

Another little-known offence that saw a surprising number of drivers got caught out was driving over a traffic island.

Almost 150 motorists were penalised for this offence last year, which comes with a $234 fine and three demerit points.

RACQ spokesperson Clare Hunter said some drivers may not have realised just how risky these behaviours were.

“These may be lesser known road rules, but it’s dangerous to drive over a traffic island — not only could it damage your car, you could also end up in the path of oncoming traffic,” Ms Hunter said.

“It should be about self-preservation here too. Having limbs hanging outside of a car window is dangerous and you’re breaking the law. If you’re caught, you might lose some money in a fine, but losing your arm in a crash would be worse.”

Reversing for longer than necessary could also land you in hot water, with more than 20 Queensland drivers being caught out by this rule last year.

Ms Hunter also said 35 drivers had been fined for their car leaking grease or oil on the road.

“If your car leaks, it’s a sign something is wrong — get it checked out or a fine could be the least of your worries,” she said.

There are a whole host of little-known rules that are easy to forget about or that some drivers don’t even realise are illegal in the first place, including:

PLAYING MUSIC TOO LOUDLY

Along with potentially ruining your hearing, blasting loud music from your car with the window down can also burn a hole in your pocket.

If you ignore a verbal warning or instructions to turn the party down, you can get slapped with a fine of up to $200.

PAYING A WINDOW WASHER

Paying a window washer could cost you a lot more than you think.

A Perth man was ordered to pay a $50 fine after being caught giving a window washer $1.50.

Police saw the transaction and pulled over the driver and handed him the unexpected fine.

A spokesperson from the WA Police Force confirmed to news.com.au that, “the man was issued an infringement for providing payment to a window washer who cleaned his windscreen. This constitutes an offence — Soliciting a service from a carriageway — Regulation 259(2) Road Traffic Code 2000.”

HAVING DIRT ON YOUR NUMBER PLATE

Mud and grime is inevitable in your daily journey, but if this builds up to the point where your number plates are obscured or unreadable, you can cop a $415 fine and three demerit points in NSW.

It’s essential that your plates are readable at all times.

DRIVING THROUGH A PUDDLE AND SPLASHING PEDESTRIANS

Though it might be fun to deliberately drive through a big puddle on the road, it could cost you if some pedestrians get caught in the crossfire.

If you get caught splashing people waiting for a bus you can be slapped with a $177 fine and three demerit points in NSW.

Originally published as The obscure road rules you don’t even realise you are breaking