Are you an avid traveler who plans on visiting Australia, or perhaps an ex-pat who wants to settle down and experience new things there? Either way, you’ll probably end up driving the streets of Australia at some point while you’re there. Traveling to a completely new country is definitely exciting, no matter your reasons for going, but you have to remember that the rules of your home country may be completely different from the ones in Australia.
For instance, Australia has its own set of traffic laws that may differ greatly from that of your home country, so you need to know these rules by heart because they’re strictly enforced. After all, you want to spend your time down under enjoying yourself and having fun, not breaking the law and dealing with traffic lawyers.
Australian Road Rules
To ensure that you make the most out of your stay, this article will teach you some of the basic road rules you need to know if you plan on driving in Australia.
Always Bring Your License With You
This may seem like it’s common sense, but you would be surprised to know that there are still some drivers out there who don’t mind leaving their license at home. Traffic enforcers in some countries might let this slide, but you can’t expect the same kind of treatment in Australia, which is why you must always bring your driver’s license with you if you want to drive legally.
It doesn’t matter if you’re just running a quick errand near where you’re staying—you must always have your license on hand so that if a police officer ever stops you for any reason, you have something to show them and you won’t land into trouble. If you happen to have a license that isn’t written in English, you’ll also need to bring an International Driving Permit with you.
Measure Distance Using Kilometers
Just like most of the world, Australia also measures distance using kilometers and not miles. When measuring speed, drivers will use kilometers per hour (km/h). This is an important fact to remember, especially if you live in a country that doesn’t use the metric system. If you plan on visiting or living in the country down under, you need to start familiarizing this form of measurement as soon as possible to avoid any confusion.
Familiarize the Road Signs
You most likely won’t have a hard time reading and understanding Australia’s parking and road signs because they’ll be similar to those found in other English-speaking countries. So, parking zones, turning restrictions, speed limits, and other signs will be posted in various places. Just make sure that when you’re driving, you check if there are any road signs around and to follow them seriously if you do happen to come across one.
Australians Drive on the Left
This is definitely a major road rule if you want to drive in Australia: drivers are situated on the left-hand side. This is most likely a major change that you’ll have to familiarize yourself with as a driver, and you’ll probably struggle with this the most because most of what you’re used to will be turned upside down. However, with enough practice, you’ll definitely get the hang of this change in no time. That said, it’s probably best if you take a couple of rounds around the car park or a safe place where you can practice your driving before actually driving on the road.
Park in Line With Traffic
Here’s another traffic rule you need to be aware of while in Australia: you need to park in line with traffic. What does this mean? Well, when parking your car, you need to make sure that the vehicle is facing forward on the left side of the road. If you’re on a one-way street, you have the option to park on either side of the road. However, the rule still remains that you need to park in line with traffic. In this case, the driver’s door of your car should be nearest to the curb.
Always Fasten Your Seatbelts
Australian traffic laws state that seat belts should be mandatory, so everyone within the vehicle should be safely strapped in. If you’re caught with a passenger not wearing a seatbelt, you’ll have to deal with a major fine—and nobody wants that. The Australian police are super strict when it comes to the wearing of seatbelts, so much so that you could even end up losing your right to drive within the country.
Another thing you need to remember is that you’re not allowed to even so much as touch your phone while driving. So, if ever you need to connect your Bluetooth, play music, or do whatever with your phone, you need to do these things before you head out. If you urgently need to check your phone, then you need to pull over and stop somewhere.
Extra Driving Rules While in Melbourne
Now that you have a better idea of the basic Australian road rules, you need to know that Melbourne has a couple of extra traffic laws you need to know—particularly because Melbourne has trams, and you’ll need to learn how to navigate the road alongside them.
Performing a Hook Turn
One very important driving skill you need to learn while in Melbourne is the hook turn. This is a bit challenging to do, so much so that there are other Australians outside of Melbourne who haven’t mastered this yet.
Driving With Trams
Other areas in Australia such as Adelaide and Sydney may have light rail service, but unlike in Melbourne, they don’t really interact with cars as much. This is why Melbourne has extra traffic laws in place specifically to cater to trams.
With that in mind, here are some of those additional rules:
- You’re not allowed to drive on tramways because, naturally, they’re meant for trams.
- You mustn’t block or move into the same path as a tram, especially one that’s approaching your direction.
- You’re not allowed to park within 20 meters of a tram stop. The only time you’re allowed to do so is if there’s a sign that allows you.
Conclusion
If you happen to get into trouble while driving in Australia, you’ll probably be hit with massive fines and demerit points. If you believe that you didn’t do anything wrong and want to challenge the traffic infringement in court, it’s completely possible to do so. You’ll most likely need to ask legal advice from traffic lawyers such as the ones from Prime Lawyers, who are experienced in dealing with situations such as this. In any case, if you want to avoid being charged with a traffic offense, it’s best that you keep in mind the basic traffic laws mentioned above.
