Loren's new to Canberra and she's not used to seeing abandoned cars beside public roads.
"In South Africa, as soon as a car has been in an accident or broken down, it is guaranteed that there will be at least one 'vulture' tow truck on the scene in minutes," she said.
With the help of Station Sergeant Marcus Boorman, head of traffic operations for ACT Policing, and the ACT Government official in charge of dealing with Canberra's forgotten automobiles, Sean Sloan, we set out to answer every question you might have relating to abandoned cars.
How many cars are abandoned each year?
Vehicles with police tape may still need to be reported to Access Canberra.
Vehicles with police tape may still need to be reported to Access Canberra.
ABC News: Jake Evans
In the last financial year the ACT Government dealt with just under 600 abandoned cars.
"It's a slight increase in what we've seen over the last years," head of licensing and compliance Sean Sloan said.
Most cars are left behind simply because they have broken down.
Other common reasons include cars that have been involved in an accident or stolen and dumped.
"What we do find is abandoned motor vehicles tend to fluctuate dependent on metal prices," Mr Sloan said.
"When the car's not worth any money to [scrap metal dealers] then unfortunately they leave it to us to manage."
Do unregistered vehicles play a part?
The ACT did away with registration stickers in 2013, making it a bit harder to remember when your car registration is due.
ACT Police say they pull over about 130 unregistered cars a month or around four a day.
But police say that rarely adds to the number of abandoned cars, as drivers can be given the opportunity to re-register their car on the spot using the ACT Government website.
Who's responsible for the abandoned vehicles?
Mr Sloan says the Government only deals with cars on public land and not private carparks.
Rangers will place a sign on vehicles that have been reported.
ABC News: Jake Evans
If an owner can't be found, won't cooperate or takes more than a reasonable period of time to respond, rangers will place an 'Object Removal Direction' sticker on a car window.
It gives the owner 48 hours to remove the car before it is towed to a Government impound. Then the waiting game starts again.
Depending on the estimated value of the car, the Government is required to keep it for anywhere from a week to three months before it can be sold for scrap metal or auctioned.
"We've actually just engaged a different towing contractor that... can actually get out to these vehicles a lot faster."
What else can be done?
Station Sergeant Marcus Boorman says broken down cars can be targeted by opportunists.
Station Sergeant Marcus Boorman says broken down cars can be targeted by opportunists.
ABC News: Jesse Dorsett
The process of removing abandoned cars can be sped up.
"A lot of people assume somebody else has reported these vehicles and we don't get notified," Mr Sloan said.
If you're tempted to abandon your car, the police have some advice.
"If your car is broken down or damaged on the side of the road remove it as soon as you can," Marcus Boorman said.
"It's everyone's responsibility. And if people have any concerns contact the police and we'll give them some advice but we won't be just towing people's cars for the sake of it."
More about our questioner:
Curious Canberran Loren Kalis and her husband Steve.
