The ultimate guide to Australian road rules

Who gives way at a roundabout? What's the speed limit if there are no signs? And are you allowed to do a U-turn at traffic lights?

You may think you know the road rules in Australia, but there are often little details that even experienced drivers aren't aware of.

When it comes to road traffic safety, it is worth checking the main rules for driving if you have not been behind the wheel in Australia for a while. There are also some differences between the states and territories that you may need to know.

Australia has strict rules about speeding and you can be fined for going even a few kilometres per hour over the speed limit.

On main roads, the speed limit will be marked by a sign with a number surrounded by a red circle. A sign with a 60 in a red circle means the speed limit is 60 kilometres per hour, for example.

The speed limit applies from the location of the sign until there is another sign with a different number, or until the road ends at a T-junction.

If there are no speed limit signs

If there aren't any signs with the speed limit on the road that you're driving, then you are required to stay under the default speed limit.

What is the default speed limit in Australia? Well, it varies slightly state by state, but most jurisdictions have a default limit of 50 kph in built-up areas and 100 kph in non-urban areas like country roads.

Variable speed limits

It's common to come across variable speed limits when driving in Australia, which means the limit changes at different times of the day or with certain conditions.

It could be a digital sign that changes automatically to slow down traffic during peak hour, for example. Or it could be a sign placed on the side of the road at the start of a construction zone.

These temporary speed limits are enforceable by law and you can be fined for going too fast.

One important variable speed limit to watch out for is a school zone, where the maximum speed drops to 40 kph for several hours around the start and end of the school day.

Northern Territory

Although there are some slight differences in the standard speed limits between the states, most of them are quite similar, with urban speeds of 50 or 60 kph and rural speeds of 100 or 110 kph.

But if you're driving in the Northern Territory, there are some exceptions that you'll need to take note of.

The NT has the highest speed limits in Australia and you can drive up to 130 kph on some sections of the Barkly Highway, Stuart Highway, Victoria Highway and Arnhem Highway.

While motorists in Australia drive on the left side of the road, you may occasionally need to switch lanes or overtake. When this happens, it is important to follow the specific road rules that guide how and when to safely make your move.

Keeping left

According to Australian road rules, you need to drive as far to the left as practical. But when there are multi-lane roads in the city, you can use any lane if there's lots of traffic.

On multi-lane roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h or higher, specific lane rules apply. You must stay in the left lane except in certain cases, which include turning right, overtaking, avoiding an obstruction, or driving when the left lanes are congested.

Overtaking

You can drive onto the right side of the road to overtake another vehicle in certain circumstances. Most importantly, you have a clear view of any approaching traffic.

The lane markings will indicate whether you are allowed to overtake or not. A broken line (with dashes) allows overtaking. A continuous unbroken line means overtaking is not allowed. If there is a double line where one is broken and one is continuous, only the vehicle on the unbroken side is allowed to overtake.

In many parts of Australia, overtaking on the left is generally not permitted unless you are on a multi-lane road or the other vehicle is turning right.

Merging

Merging lanes in Australia follows two clear rules depending on the type of merge. If your lane is ending and you need to cross a lane marking, you must give way to any vehicle already in the adjacent lane, even if it is behind you. If there is no lane marking and two lanes converge into one, the vehicle that is further ahead has right of way, regardless of which lane it came from, so if you are slightly behind the other vehicle, you must give way.

There are lots of different types of intersections in Australia, including stop signs, traffic lights and roundabouts and the rules are different for each of them.

Stop sign

When you get to an intersection with a stop sign, you must come to a complete stop, even if you think there is no other traffic.

Once stopped, you'll need to give way to any vehicles that are already in the intersection, any vehicles approaching the intersection that aren't subject to stop signs and any pedestrians crossing the road.

If you are driving straight and another vehicle subject to a stop sign is indicating to turn right in front of you, then you have right of way.

Give way sign

The rules for a give way sign are similar to a stop sign. The main difference is that you don't need to come to a complete stop at a give way sign, although you are still required to slow down and check for other traffic.

A driver at a give way sign needs to give way to any vehicles already in the intersection, any vehicles that aren't subject to other signs and any pedestrians crossing the road.

Roundabouts

When it comes to Australian road rules at roundabouts, the most important thing to remember is that you're required to drive around it in a clockwise direction (to the left).

If the roundabout has multiple lanes, you need to be in the left lane if you're going to exit before halfway and in the right lane if you're going to exit after halfway. You can be in either lane if you're driving straight through.

As you're about to enter the intersection, you need to give way to any vehicle that is already in the roundabout. You should also give way to any vehicle entering the roundabout to your right if there's not enough time to drive through.

Drivers are required to indicate as they enter the roundabout if they're going to be turning left or right. There's no need to indicate on entry if you're driving straight.

And if it's practical, you're also supposed to indicate to the left as you exit the roundabout.

Traffic lights

Traffic lights in Australia have three colours: green, yellow and red.

If the light is green, you are allowed to drive through, but the normal rules for intersections still apply. That means you need to give way to any oncoming vehicles when you're turning right, as well as giving way to pedestrians crossing the road.

If the light is yellow, that means it's about to turn red. You are allowed to drive through an intersection when the light is yellow if it would be dangerous to stop suddenly. But you're not allowed to enter the intersection after the light has turned red.

When there's a red traffic light, you have to stop and you can't enter the intersection until the light turns green. You cannot make a turn at a red light in Australia unless there is a sign that specifically says something like 'left turn permitted on red'.

If there are no signs at an intersection

When there are no obvious instructions, it may be unclear what to do at an intersection in Australia that has no signs.

In this situation, you must always give way to any vehicles approaching from the right. If you're turning right, you also have to give way to any oncoming traffic.

The road rules around U-turns in Australia vary slightly between states and territories, and these differences are particularly noticeable when it comes to U-turns.

In many parts of  Australia, U-turns at traffic-light intersections are not allowed unless a sign specifically permits them

But in Victoria, you are allowed to make a U-turn at an intersection with traffic lights unless there's a sign saying it's prohibited.

Everywhere in Australia, you can do a U-turn at intersections without traffic lights unless there's a sign prohibiting it.

You cannot do a U-turn anywhere over single or double unbroken lines. In most states and territories, you can't do a U-turn over double lines if the one closer to you is unbroken.

If you are not sure, you might want to pull into a quiet side street and make the U-turn there or avoid the manoeuvre.

In Australia, every person in a vehicle is required to wear a seatbelt, and the responsibility falls on the driver, who will be fined if any passenger fails to comply. The law states that a seatbelt must be worn whenever the vehicle is moving, or when it is stationary but not parked, such as when stopped at a red light. The seatbelt must be fitted properly, and two people cannot share one seatbelt.

Passengers aged 16 years or over are required to wear a standard seatbelt. For younger children, specific laws apply regarding seatbelts and restraints, with various types required depending on the child's age and height. These rules also vary slightly by state and territory. If you are travelling with young passengers, it is important to check the exact requirements for your situation, including when driving a rental car, as you may need to bring or hire the appropriate equipment.

In Australia, drivers are generally not permitted to use a mobile phone while driving, and the rules extend beyond simply holding a phone to make a call. If you are driving, or stationary but not parked such as waiting at a red light, you are not permitted to use any device that could cause distraction. This includes mobile phones, dashboard cameras, GPS devices, entertainment consoles and smartwatches. The rules also prohibit touching a device, meaning you are not permitted to touch your smartwatch or briefly hold your phone to look at the screen.

There are, however, some exceptions. You are permitted to view inbuilt or mounted devices used for safe driving, such as a GPS device, but you are not permitted to input information manually. It is advisable to set your destination before you start driving, or use voice control where permitted. You are also permitted to briefly touch an inbuilt or mounted device to start or answer a phone call, play audio material, or adjust the volume, but typing or scrolling on the screen is not allowed.

The penalties for drink driving in Australia are significant. Compliance with police testing is mandatory, and punishments can include loss of licence and prison time. For a standard licence, the maximum permitted blood alcohol concentration (BAC) while driving is 0.05, while the limit is 0 for learner and provisional licence holders.

Previously, the recommended guideline for staying under the limit was two standard drinks in the first hour and one per hour after that for males, and one standard drink per hour for females. However, as alcohol is metabolised differently by each individual, Australian authorities no longer provide this recommendation and now officially advise that no alcohol should be consumed before driving.

Incorrect parking in Australia can result in fines, demerit point deductions, and in the most serious cases, licence penalties. As parking signs can be difficult to interpret, it is advisable to familiarise yourself with their meanings before leaving your vehicle.

A no parking sign indicates that you may not leave your vehicle unattended, though a brief stop to drop off or pick up passengers is permitted. In a no stopping zone, stopping is not permitted under any circumstances. A green P sign followed by a number indicates the maximum parking duration allowed in that area: 2P permits two hours, 4P permits four hours, and 1/2P permits thirty minutes. Where dates or times appear on a sign, the restriction applies during that period only, and an arrow indicates the direction in which the rule applies.