Illegal road act inflicting $349 fine on 'experienced' drivers
With Australia seeing over 650,000 short-term visitors in one month alone, it's crucial international drivers are aware of the different road rules.
Australia is a massive country. With a population of over 26 million spread across a huge landmass of states and territories, authorities have a lot of ground to cover when it comes to enforcing the law.
While there are some regulations that apply nationwide, road rules in particular are largely determined by individual jurisdictions, meaning if people aren't aware of the specific policies in place, they could quickly land in hot water — especially tourists.
According to recent research by Right2Drive, there's a number of road rules regularly tripping up foreigners, and sometimes locals, with one apparently less widely known than the rest — the fact it's an offence to hang your arm outside of a car window.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, lawyer Avinash Singh said the offence is "more common than most people think".
"Part of the reason is a lack of knowledge in the community — even experienced Australian drivers," Singh said. "Unsurprisingly, tourists are particularly vulnerable to rules such as this, given they have often only been in the country for a short amount of time".
"Many countries do not have laws against having your arm out the window and it is not the type of road rule most tourists turn their mind to when driving in Australia."
While the rule is in place nationwide, penalties vary from state to state. Effectively, a person must not travel in or on a motor vehicle with any part of the person's body outside a window or door of the vehicle, unless the person is the driver of the vehicle and is giving a hand signal to change direction, stop or slow down.
Fines exceeding $300 in place in some states
In New South Wales, for example, drivers can face fines of around $349 and three demerit points for this violation. The penalties in other states are similarly strict. In Victoria, a driver might receive an on-the-spot fine of $185.
If you take the matter to court however, you could be hit with three penalty points for a fine totalling $555. Offenders in Queensland could be fined $268 and incur three demerit points.
Blake Parker, general manager at Right2Drive, said road rules can change at any time, so it’s important that drivers stay up to date with all the varying regulations in the countries people visit.
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With Australia seeing over 658,810 short-term visitors in August alone, "it's crucial" that international drivers are aware of the different driving regulations across the country before getting behind the wheel.
"This helps ensure safe driving, not only to avoid hefty fines but also to prevent major accidents," Parker said. "This basic rule is rather unique and can be a difficult one to follow for tourists.
"However, this driving regulation requires drivers to keep their arms or any part of their body inside of the window, or door when driving as an effort to promote responsible driving habits."
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