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Aussie Drivers Can Cop A $344 Fine If You Have Fluffy Dice Or Air Freshener In Car

Aussie Drivers Can Cop A $344 Fine If You Have Fluffy Dice Or Air Freshener In Car

Might be time to get rid of them from your car.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Australia has been gaining a reputation for being a bit of a nanny state.

Depending on where you live, you might be suffering through lockout laws or weird rules where your pet can't bark for longer than three minutes or not being able to pay for your drive-thru Macca's with your phone.

Some of these rules have been around for a long time and others have been introduced to reflect the times. But there's one rule that most Aussies aren't aware of that could land them with a $344 fine and three demerit points.

benchilada/Creative Commons

In every state and territory but Queensland, a driver can cop that fine and the points if they have anything that obscures their vision while they're behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Queenslanders can also be hit with the fine if they don't have 'a clear view of the road, and traffic, ahead, behind, and to each side of the driver' but there are no points given.

Now, you're probably thinking that sounds reasonable, but when police treat things like air fresheners, fluffy dice or stickers as distractors then you might think twice about hanging them in your car.

You can also get in trouble if you've got a GPS device that might be obstructing your view.

Superintendent Bob Gray told The Daily Mail: "Mobile phones, GPS devices and other technology or items in the car can be a major distraction for drivers and divert their attention from the task at hand.

Michael Gabelmann/Creative Commons

"When mounting your GPS display or adding any decorative items, like fluffy dice or stickers, consider whether it will obscure your vision. It is important that drivers have a clear view of the road, to the front, back and sides, at all times."

If this is news to you, then you might want to have a look at your car to see if there's any reason for cops to pull you over.

People were similarly shocked when Victoria Police revealed you could cop a decent fine if you used your phone to pay for food at a drive-thru service.

Victoria Police posted a poll on Facebook asking: "When using a fast-food outlet's drive-thru service, can I use my phone to pay?"

More than 55,000 votes were lodged and 65 percent of people thought it was totally okay to use something like Apple Pay to grab your Macca's as you head down the highway.

However, according to Victoria Police, that will land you with a pretty hefty fine if the cops are sitting behind you.

"Using a handheld mobile phone while driving carries a $484 fine and accrue 4 demerit points," the police service said.

"If you intend to use your mobile phone to pay at the drive-thru window, apply the hand brake, switch the engine off and then access your mobile phone. In doing so, you are not considered driving."

Naturally, people who have seen the poll's answer are pissed off because the law doesn't reflect the reality of technology.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Interesting, Community, Australia