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Driving in Australia


Driving in Australia

Keep a sense of perspective. Tourists are far more likely to be killed or injured as pedestrians, drivers or passengers on Australian roads than all the other causes of death and injury combined. While their is no minimum speed limit on Australia roads, you are advised to maintain a reasonable speed to avoid becoming a nuisance. However some interstate roads have overtaking lanes. In some states Learner and Provisional drivers are required by law to travel at a maximum speed limit of 80km/h (48mph), 90km/h (54mph), 100km/h (60mph) respectively when roads warrant a higher speed limit. Driving between cities and towns can take longer than you think, especially if you are used to freeway or motorway driving in Europe or North America. Speed limits vary by location, road and by state. Avoid the stresses of fatigue by not planning to drive too far in a day. Driving between capitals also comes with the risk of hitting or crashing due to swerving to avoid wildlife, especially kangaroos which have a habit of being spooked by cars and then, bewilderingly, jumping in front of them. Take extra care when driving through areas with vegetation close to the road and during dawn and dusk when wildlife is most active. Wildlife is not usually an issue in major urban areas (with the exception of Canberra where a series of parks provides ample habitat for kangaroos, which often cross major roads). Urban Australians jaywalk, dodge cars, and anticipate the sequence of lights. Although most Australians will stop for a red light, running the amber light is common, so ensuring the traffic has stopped before stepping from the curb is always a good idea. People from countries who drive on the right will take a while to get used to looking the correct way when crossing.

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Australia


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Australia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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