Five surprising things you can get a ticket for

Should you get a seat belt in your car for your pooch, or use your phone to pay for hamburger at the drive-through? You’d be (unpleasantly) surprised about some things you can get a ticket for while you are driving, depending on which state or territory you live in.

Here are five things to avoid if you want to keep your driving record blemish-free and avoid a costly fine.

It’s peak hour and parking is tight. But, hang on, there’s a space near one of those red letterboxes that no one really uses anymore right? Oh-oh. Stopping your car within three metres of an Australia Post letterbox is illegal in all states and territories and can net you a fine of up to $196. That’s a pretty steep addition to the cost of a stamp.

Tap-to-pay has made life easier but not at a hamburger outlet in Victoria. It’s an offence there to use your phone to pay at a drive-through unless you have applied your car’s handbrake and turned the engine off first. And it can cost you up to $484 and four demerit points, which is sure to give you indigestion.

If you want to protect your pooch and avoid a random fine, buy your dog a halter, and clip it into the seatbelt in the back of your car (inflating airbags can kill a dog). While there are no specific laws in Queensland or Victoria for driving with an unrestrained pet, other states and territories impose fines of up to $400 minimum.

And, if police in any part of the country believe your dog is hampering your view or distracting you while you are driving, you can also be fined and lose demerit points. Even worse, you risk voiding your insurance if your dog is believed to have contributed to an accident and, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act may, can be required to fork out up to $5500 and spend six months in jail.

In Queensland, sleeping in your car anywhere except for a permitted zone such as a rest stop is deemed “illegal camping”. Pulling your car over to the side of the road to have a sleep, or even a nap, will get you a hefty fine of up to $550. Makes a motel look cheap, doesn’t it? While other places aren’t quite as heavy-handed, fines for sleeping in your car are popping up at tourist spots such as New South Wales’ Byron Bay and Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

Driving a car in public, where people can see you naked from the waist down, can get you a fine for obscene exposure in all states and territories. It really does pay to put your pants on before you get behind the wheel.

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