Australian Road Rules and Road Safety

For your own safety, you should get to know the Australian road rules. To make it easy, we’ve listed some of the most important rules and safety points to consider when driving. 

Road Rules

• Keep to the left-hand side of the road
• Everyone in the vehicle must be wearing their seatbelt
• Carry a valid driver’s licence in English or an International Drivers Permit alongside your national driver’s licence
• Don’t speed, keep to the speed limit
• At a roundabout all traffic must move in a clockwise direction. A vehicle already in the roundabout has right of way over any vehicles entering
• Drivers with a full license must have an alcohol reading of less than 0.05. It is illegal for provisional drivers and young drivers to have any alcohol
• Always overtake to the right
• Overtake carefully, never overtake on blind corners or double white lines.
• Be careful when overtaking heavy vehicles, especially in wet weather (wind turbulence and wheel spray) Allow plenty of space when pulling back in after passing a truck. Trucks can’t stop as quickly as cars, especially when carrying heavy loads

Road Safety

• Fatigue causes many crashes in Australia, so make sure you stop and rest every 2 hours
• Always obey speed limits, especially on winding roads
• Be alert for wildlife and domestic animals. Aim to drive during the day, most of Australia’s wildlife is active from dusk to dawn and they’re notorious for wandering onto roads
• Campervans and motorhomes are bigger than your normal car, so watch out for height indicator signs at low level crossings or car parks
• Watch out for overhanging tree branches that might scratch or damage the campervan or motorhome