A 75-year-old Swiss motorist learned the importance of his car's handbrake the hard way, watching his vehicle roll into a lake.

Markus Bettler parked his car next to Lake Constance in Switzerland and got out to take in the view. However, he forgot to apply the handbrake.

"As I slammed the door, I saw it start to creep forward but there was nothing I could do," he said.

According to reports, police charged Bettler the equivalent of about R25 000 to winch the soaked car out of the lake. Talk about adding insult to injury...