weezypenguin

Ok so we are from Uk, but lived in Canada for 8 years.
So driving in OZ, what differences are there?
in UK you can not turn on a red light in Canada you can...for example.
thanks in advance

Red_V_Roger

You don't have to keep left on roads with speed limits up to 80km/hr (unless signed).

Cops & cameras will nick you for doing 1km/hr over the speed limit - no 'plus a bit' like you have in the UK.

Aussie's cannot drive, have no sense of keeping a distance, don't slow down in the wet. Its the stop/go go-kart driving that comes from learning to drive in an automatic and not learning proper car control.

KJCherokee

You can't turn left at a red light unless there is a dedicated "Turn any time with care" lane and sign.

Unlike the UK there is no "Red & Amber" signal - it goes straight from red to green.

In built-up areas the speed limit is 50kph unless signed otherwise.

Rules change between states, as does the enforcement of them.

robertnhelen

Traffic light rules in Australia,

Green = Go
Amber (or Orange as some call it here) = Go Faster
Red = Floor it and hope for the best.

Rambi

Driving is similar to the UK but there are some small rule differences compared to the UK and between some of the states. It is worth reading through the road rules for your state even if you get a straight licence swap.

Off the top of my head (and from a Vic point of view).

• Undertaking is allowed as mentioned above.
• No turn on red but a lot of lights come with a slip lane to get past the light. Note that you should give way to pedestrians on a slip way.
• Arrow markings on lanes are enforceable.
• If visiting Melly check on the rules for passing trams. I don't know the UK rules for this but I suspect there are some differences there.
• When turning right onto a dual carriageway you normally join into the right lane (not the left lane like the UK). However you can cross over into the left is there is a car coming in the right lane and the left lane is clear.
• When turning left onto a multi-lane road you can join into whichever lane is clear (not just the left one like the UK).
• Check out the rules on road sharing in Vic if you are coming here. Having cars join you on a roundabout puts the heebie-jeebies up some Brits but it is allowed and the locals can cope with it.
• Turning right, the default rule is near-side (left to left) passing not offside passing like the UK.
• If turning onto a main road then your supposed to give way to a pedestrian crossing the main road. However not many people seem to apply this rule.
• There are default speed limits for different types of road (like in France) so the speed limit signage can be a bit understated. For example, main roads through town are usually 60k but residential streets are 50k. When you turn into a residential street you won't see a speed limit sign. You're just supposed to know it's 50k.

Where I am the driving style isn't much different to where I left the UK. Tailgating is more common but the use of indicators is better. I've only met a couple of people who passed their test in an automatic. Most people I know pass in a manual as there is a restriction period of several years before they are allowed to drive a manual.

shussel

My husband got a fine in NSW when we first arrived because we did a u-turn at traffic lights. In the UK, you can do this if it's safe to do so. In NSW, you CAN'T do a u-turn unless there is a sign telling you it's permitted.

After he got that fine we wondered what else we didn't know so looked up the driving rules and regs on the RTA website (NSW traffic authority). Each state has a brochure.

Just an observation but in Sydney there aren't many roundabouts and the few that I encounter are very dangerous as noone seems to know what to do!

Bikergirl

pedestrains get a green man to cross at the same time as cars get a green light to turn left or right (and pedestrains get right of way). Most seems to be common sense - though we only found out by chance about the u-turn rule when chatting with someone, and we had already done a few u-turns.....

spartacus

Also, be careful when turning left at a junction which is traffic light controlled. Very often even though your lights are on green, pedestrians are also on green to cross and have right of way.

Rambi

This highlights one of the inter-state differences. In Vic, it's the same rule as the UK, you can do a U-turn unless signed that you can't.

I know they tried to nationalise the rules in the 90s and there has been some convergence but with some of the rules you can see the cost of changing would just outweigh the minimal benefits gained.


I guess a big one to mention is that you shouldn't park against the flow of traffic. That seems to catch quite a few.

spartacus

Heaven forbid.

Rambi

It also seems to wind people up

bingobob777

Got a fine my 3rd day in Australia for that.

Traffic cops here are even more useless than the UK, so far I've had the fine as above and another fine and 3 points for turning right between 4pm and 6pm at a road in Ashgrove, meanwhile every time you venture on to the Pacific or Bruce Highways you got umpteen twats tailgating you, actually causing a risk of injury or death, but nothing happens about that.

It's even more of an excuse to raise money here.

KJCherokee

Ditto - and that was 28 years ago! Saw an empty spot on the other side of the street and swung into it - came back and the ticket was on the windscreen.

Sherlock Holmes

In South Australia you can pass your test in an automatic and then drive a manual.

Admittedly you can't do more thayt 80 kph whilst on your P plates.

Rambi

I did try to stress that I was talking from a Vic point of view.