If you’ve ever briefly wandered away from your unlocked car while you’ve been filling up or just nipping into the shops for a sec, congratulations – you’ve broken one of Australia’s most obscure road rules.

In most parts of the country you can be fined for leaving your vehicle unattended and unsecured when you are more than three metres away, traffic lawyer Jahan Kalantar has explained. 

Ute filling up at petrol station
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“Remember, it is illegal to have your car unlocked in certain circumstances,” said Kalantar, who is the managing partner at Executive Law Group.

“If you are not in the car, if someone else is not in the car, if the car is further than three metres away from you, if your keys are in the ignition and the engine is on, if the engine is not on but the keys are in the ignition, even if the keys aren’t in the ignition but the window is more than two centimetres down, it’s illegal.” 

The fines are nothing to sneeze at. Drivers in NSW and Queensland can be done for up to 20 penalty units, which equates to a $2200 fine in NSW and $3400 in the Sunshine State. That drops to about $625 for Victorians, all the way down to $50 for motorists in Western Australia.

“The reason we have this rule is because it’s hypothetically much easier to break into your car, insurance premiums go up, it causes issues, which is why police have the discretion to fine with this offence,” Kalantar added.

“We’ve seen it applied in silly situations, like someone is paying for some gas at the gas station, the cops come, and they charge them … Yes, I agree, it’s a bit ridiculous most of the time for that to be in place.” 

The unattended law is far from the only road rule Aussie drivers get ambushed by. Others include beeping your horn to say goodbye to a friend, letting your dog sit on your lap when you’re behind the wheel, and letting passengers rest their feet on the dashboard.