One of the most common topics Curious Canberra is asked to investigate is why abandoned cars can be found all over the city.

The question, asked by Loren Kalis, also won our April voting round.

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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.

"In Canberra, many cars are left for weeks, sometimes months. It seems like such a safety hazard as well as an eyesore for our roads."

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. ( 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.

"I think a lot of people can't afford [the towing fees] and unfortunately that's when decisions are made by people just to leave their car and walk away from it," he said.

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. ( ABC News: Ewan Gilbert )

"It is the owner's responsibility to take care of their property," Station Sergeant Marcus Boorman said.

Police will only tow a car if it poses a risk to road safety.

The trouble starts when an owner can't be contacted or established.

If that happens it becomes a problem for the ACT Government and ultimately one for the whole community.

"It's a fairly significant [cost]... last financial year we spent in excess of $300,000 dollars managing it," Mr Sloan said.

Do authorities fine or prosecute people who ditch their cars?

A burnt-out car near Kambah pools, in Canberra's south. ( ABC Radio Canberra: Penny Travers )

Unlike a speeding ticket, abandoned cars aren't covered by what is often referred to as 'deeming laws' or 'owner onus'.

"What we tend to find is a lot of people deny that they own the car," Mr Sloan said.

"A lot of people will tell us that they've sold the car to somebody else and they haven't got the details of the person they've sold it to.

"Some people go as far as to remove all identifiers off those vehicles and then they leave them there.

"Just trying to track down the last owner of that vehicle can be very difficult."

Why do some abandoned cars sit there for weeks on end?

Removing abandoned cars is tricky and the process can be inefficient.

For the Government to remove a car, they first need to know about it.

Members of the community can report them by contacting Access Canberra.

Then rangers will visit the vehicle and attempt to contact the owner.

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're looking at and reviewing our own systems... on how we can do things better," Mr Sloan said.

"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. ( 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.

"Report that vehicle so that we can ensure that it actually has been captured [in our system]."

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."