Coming to Australia on holiday or for work or study? These 77 questions are the essential road rules rules you'll need to know to help you stay safe and minimise your chance of an accident.
Safe driving knowledge including signs, speed limits, intersections and road rules
Limits, laws and guidelines for driving a rental vehicle after using alcohol, drugs and prescription drugs
Rules and guidelines for staying alert when driving your car or campervan, being aware of fatigue, plus driving defensively
Traffic signs, vehicle movements, priority and give way rules, and road position at intersections
Correct use of the road, the different types of lanes, merging, and giving way
Driving safely around pedestrians
Speed limits for different driving conditions and different types of roads
Essential warning signs and road information signs
Rules to avoid driving negligently while on holiday
If you are hiring a car or campervan you'll need to have a current, valid driver's licence. You must not have received a disqualification or suspension in Australia. You may need to be over 21 years of age - check with the rental company. You must have entered Australia less than 12 months ago and not have an Australian licence. If your licence is not in English you will need an accurate translation to English.
If you are here for a few days and you are renting a car, the tourist quiz will give you the basics you need to know to help you to drive safely in Australia. If you are coming for longer for work, e.g. as an au pair, seasonal worker or on a temporary work visa then it's important for you to check out the car or motorbike section in its entirety as you may need to get an Australian licence.
If you are on a short course (less than three months) and you want to rent a car, you will be fine on your full overseas driver's licence. Check out the tourist and visitor quizzes above. However, if you are doing a longer course (more than three months) you might consider purchasing a car or motorbike, in which case you will need to look at the full car or motorbike driving tests so that you know all the road rules, especially if your licence type is one that requires you to do a theory test.
If you are here for a short time as a tourist and you are renting a car or campervan, take a look at the tourist driving quizzes above and make sure that you know the rules of the road. Don't let an accident or fine spoil your holiday.
We drive on the left in Australia. When you are turning at an intersection you must give way to oncoming vehicles going straight ahead or turning left. If the intersection is uncontrolled (i.e. no signs or lights), you must also give way to your right. You must give way to pedestrians on the road.
At a stop sign and stop line (unbroken line) it is compulsory to stop before you reach the stop line, but as close as possible to the intersection. Once you have stopped you can then ease forwards if you feel you can't see other traffic well enough. Note that the line style is different to NZ (solid yellow line).
At a give way (yield) sign the line is broken. You are not required to stop, but you must give way to traffic coming from your right or left, or traffic coming towards you straight through the intersection if you are turning right.
Our traffic lights go from red to green, green to amber/yellow, then yellow to red. You must stop for red. You must stop if possible for amber, and you can go if safe to do so on green. Note that we don't have a flashing amber at pedestrian crossings.
To turn left, approach in the left lane signalling left. To go straight ahead, approach in any lane with a straight arrow without signalling, then signal just after you pass the exit before the one you want to take. To turn right approach the roundabout in the right-hand lane signalling right, then signal left just after you pass the exit before the one you want to take.
The default urban speed limit is 50kph and the default open road speed limit is 100kph. A speed limit sign is a red circle surrounding a white disc with a black number. Local traffic areas/zones, school zones, some work sites, central Sydney and when overtaking a school bus with its lights flashing is a 40kph limit. A shared traffic zone is 10kph.
An advisory speed sign is a yellow diamond with a black number. Advisory speeds are to warn you of a corner or other road feature that might require you to slow down.
While almost all railway level crossings in main centres are controlled by lights and or barrier arms, once you get into the countryside (and particularly up around the cane railways if you head up to northern Queensland) you will find railways that have no lights or barrier arms. Obey the sign (give way or stop) before crossing.
It's always illegal to drive if you are affected by illegal or legal drugs. For alcohol, if you have a full licence then the limit is 0.05% which is the same as New Zealand and most countries in Europe.
Now you've got an idea of some of the rules, check out the rest of them by using the free road rules quiz above.
This website works on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Bookmark it on your smartphone and you can check the road rules out while you are on the road, too.
