Among the thousands of road rules in NSW, there are some that could trip you up. A few of them might even sound unlikely at first. Here we explain some tricky road rules, why they exist, and the fines and demerit points that apply if you break them.
Don’t toot your horn and wave goodbye
This is a strange one. How many times have you tooted your horn and leaned out of the window of your car to wave goodbye? Unfortunately, this breaks 2 road rules:
- “Unnecessary use of horn or warning device” – $352
- “Part of body outside vehicle” – $352
It could cost you a hefty $704 fine and, if you’re the driver, 3 points.
Stop on an orange light
Few people know this but you are supposed to stop your car on an orange/amber light. The orange light gives you time to stop before it turns red. It is designed to protect pedestrians and motorists who are turning in the middle of an intersection.
The penalty is high: $481 and 3 points or $587 and 4 points in a school zone.
Driving with an animal on your lap
It might be obvious you shouldn’t drive with a dog on your lap. The penalty for that is high. Yet driving with an animal on your passenger’s lap could be just as dangerous. Animals can be a distraction, block the driver’s vision and can also be injured or killed in a road accident (about 5,000 a year). Never put dogs on front seats because inflating air bags may kill them. They are best restrained in the back.
The penalty for driving with dog on lap is $469, 3 points and perhaps an injured dog.
Don’t use a service station driveway for a shortcut
You can drive across a service station to get fuel, but you can’t use the forecourt for a shortcut. This is classified as “drive on path”. This tricky rule exists because it’s dangerous for people who are walking across it to buy fuel.
The penalty is $362 and 3 points.
Recline front passenger seat while being driven
The problem here is not the reclining of the passenger seat but the way the seatbelt holds the reclining passenger. If you do this, the belt sits above the occupant and is “not properly adjusted and fastened”. This means the seatbelt would not work properly in an accident.
The penalty is high: $352 and 3 points.
Parking in your own driveway
Everyone with a driveway has probably done this, or encouraged a visitor or tradie to do it. However, parking in or across your own driveway is not allowed unless the driver stays in the vehicle to drop off or pick up passengers and is gone within 2 minutes (like at the airport).
Pay a fine of $283.
Don’t throw an apple core from your window
An apple core, or any other fruit, is biodegradable but throwing it is still classified as littering from a car. It could endanger wildlife that comes to the edge of the highway to feed and hence, put other motorists at risk.
This could be the most expensive apple you ever bought: $250.
Never flash your lights to warn drivers about RBT
You might think it’s neighbourly to warn oncoming drivers about an RBT. The law calls it “using high beam towards oncoming vehicle”. The tricky problem here is you might dazzle other drivers and cause an accident.
Penalty: $117 and 1 point.
Do you leave your keys in the car and walk away?
It’s surprising how many people do this, especially to buy fuel or coffee nearby. Not only is it dangerous to leave the engine on, but it’s an open invitation to thieves. There are 3 possible fines for this one:
- Leave engine on $117
- Not remove keys (vehicle unattended) $117
- Not secure windows/doors (vehicle unattended) $117
Total fine is $351.
School zones on pupil-free days
School zones are already tricky because they exist only at certain times of day. Did you know offences in school zones are enforced even on pupil-free days? This is because schools differ in their schedules but the law wants to be consistent.
NRMA says 3,100 drivers received speeding fines on only 2 pupil-free school days in January 2022. These penalties were worth over $753,0000.
Final note
We thought we would end in a lighter vein. This daft rule no longer applies: $194 fine and 3 points for driving through a muddy puddle and splashing a pedestrian waiting at a bus stop. While there are still muddy puddles and pedestrians at bus stops, presumably authorities haven’t used this rule very much.
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