Rules of the Road in Australia

Before you hire a car in Australia make sure to check out our Rules of the Road guide of the country. Obviously, road safety is of total importance when driving in a nation that you are not accustomed to, and even more so in a rented vehicle that you are not totally familiar with. Check out our quick guide to the most important Rules of the Road in Australia…

· Speed limits may vary from one state to the other, and is at the discretion of each state. In general, the speed limit in the larger cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Perth is approximately 50km per hour unless stated and signposted otherwise. This ruling relates to suburban areas. On the main highways and freeways around Australia the speed limit rises to 100km per hour and in some areas can rise to 110 km per hour.

· Remember to adapt your road speed to the driving conditions, such as fog or rain.

· Drive on the left in Australia and overtake on the right hand side only.

· Please ensure to have your driving licence documentation with you at all times during your time driving in Australia. For nationalities travelling around Australia where English isn’t the first language always remember to carry a copy of your driving licence in English.

· Always wear your seatbelt when driving or whilst you are a passenger in a vehicle. The compulsory wearing of a seatbelt has been part of Australia Road Traffic Law since the 1960s. The ruling applies to front and rear passengers. Child safety restraints and seats are also required by law, so make sure this is included in your car rental if the kids are in tow!

· The message in Australia is “don’t drink and drive”. The Police operate random and regular breath testing checks at locations and the blood alcohol level is 0.05, or 50 milligrams of alcohol in every 100 mililitres of blood. So abstain from alcohol if driving is the best policy. Don’t ruin your holiday by getting prosecuted. Provisional and younger drivers are not allowed to consume alcohol before driving.

· Driver fatigue is known to be one of the main causes of road accidents in Australia, this is due to people driving long distances and not taking due care in freshening up and reviving themselves, and breaking the journey. It is recommended that you should break up your journey after two hours, and stop and rest.

· Many urban areas in Australia, especially cities like Melbourne give priority to public transport such as buses and trams. They have the right of way on roads, and make sure you observe the “Give Way” signs that some buses will display. Observe with due care the “Give Way” signs that buses display – they always have right of way when they signal that they are coming out from a stop.

· In Australia, the minimum age of a driver for a car rental is 21 years of age.

Find out more about the Rules of the Road in Australia.

So here are the main Rules of the Road in Australia. The best way to explore this charming country is to hire a quality car so check out our Car Rental Australia page.

Have you hired a car in Australia before? Have you any driving and road safety tips that you want to share with our other readers? If we have left out any important ‘rules of the road’ please let us know! Share your experiences of driving in the wonderful country of Australia. If you have any queries just let us know in the comments box below. Thank you.