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Driving in Australia and New Zealand

March 10, 2017

Getting around the large cities in Australia and New Zealand is easy when you’re using public transportation. But if you plan to travel outside of these areas, you may find that you will have to rent a car. I’ll admit that when my husband lost his drivers license somewhere in the Chicago O’Hare airport, I was nervous- I would have to do all the driving in Australia and New Zealand. But I strapped on my big-girl boots and took on the challenge like a champ.

Turns out, I’m pretty boss at driving on the left side of the road!

If you are planning a road trip around Australia and New Zealand, and are nervous about having to drive, here are some useful tips for you!

Me & my cute little Suzuki that I fell in love with

Eligibility

You must have a license to be able to drive in both Australia and New Zealand. Your license from your home country is fine, as long as it is in English. If it is not in English, you have to get an International Drivers License, which you can get in your home country. In Australia, you can drive with your license for 3 months. After that, you must register for a license in the state you are driving in. In New Zealand, you can drive for 12 months with your license, before needing to convert to a New Zealand license. You must be at least 21 years old to rent a car in both Australia and New Zealand.

Drive on the left

The biggest difference you’ll find while driving in Australia and New Zealand is that traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road. This can be tricky to remember, especially when making turns. It is important to always look both left and right before making a turn, to avoid collisions. In addition, there are often signs posted reminding you to “Keep Left” while driving.

Sit on the right

While traffic moves along the left, the driver sits on the right side of the car. In most cars, your gearshift, windshield wipers, and turning signal will be reversed as well. Take some time to practice getting used to this before heading out onto major streets. Luckily, gas and brake pedals remain the same, so you don’t need to retrain your brain on those.

Roundabouts

Ahh, the infamous roundabouts. Also known as a traffic circle, these are commonly seen while driving in Australia and New Zealand. Essentially, they are a circle of flowing traffic that takes the place of traffic lights or 4-way stops. Traffic at all roundabouts goes in a clock-wise direction, so make sure to look to your right before entering. As you enter the roundabout, you must always give way to the cars that are already in the circle.

There are some tricky bits to remember regarding what lane to be in, and how to properly use your turning signal. This post by Lifehacker Australia is awesome at explaining roundabout etiquette. I recommend giving it a read before hitting the road.

Passing vehicles (Overtaking)

Laws for overtaking vehicles in Australia and New Zealand are very similar to those in the United States. As traffic moves on the left, all overtaking is done using the right lane. If there is no designated passing lane, you must pay attention to the road’s center line. You may not pass a vehicle if the center line is continuous and unbroken, if it there are two unbroken lines, or if there are two lines and the one closest to you is unbroken.

While driving in New Zealand, there is often only one lane of traffic flowing in each direction. If you are driving slower than the posted speed limit, or you see that the vehicle behind you is trying to pass, it is courteous to pull your own vehicle over to the side of the road to let others go around you.

One-way bridges

You will most likely come across one-way bridges in New Zealand. Before approaching the bridge, you will see a sign with two arrows inside, indicating the direction of traffic flow. One of these arrows will be larger than the other. This arrow indicates which lane of traffic has the right-of-way. If you are not in this lane, you must yeild to all oncoming traffic, until it is safe to pass.

Speed limits

Speed limits are highly enforced while driving in Australia and New Zealand.  Hidden speed cameras are used in both countries, along with highway patrol. In Australia, the default speed in urban zones if 50km/h. Each state has different regulations regarding top legal speeds on freeways and major motorways. For instance, in New South Wales and Queensland the top speed is 110km/h, while the Northern Territory has some highways with top speeds of 130km/h. In New Zealand, the maximum driving speed is 100km/h. Urban areas will usually have a speed-limit of 50km/hr.

Cows?

Driving in rural areas, you may encounter herds of animals using the road to get from one pasture to another. Make sure you slow your vehicle down immensely and drive patiently as the herd moves. There is no need to blast your horn or rev your engine, as there is usually a person with the herd who will help clear a path for you.

Cell phones, Seat belts, and Driving under the influence

Australia and New Zealand are both very strict about these. It is illegal in both Australia and New Zealand to use a hand-held cell phone while operating a vehicle. This includes while waiting at traffic lights and stop signs.

In both Australia and New Zealand, the driver is responsible for making sure they and all passengers have seat belts on while the car is moving. Both the driver and passengers can receive hefty fines for not wearing seat belts.

The blood alcohol limit in Australia is 0.05%, and police do set up random roadside drug and alcohol tests. If caught driving under the influence, you will be faced with a fine and a driving suspension. In New Zealand, the blood alcohol limit is also 0.05%, but this is lowered to 0.0% for any drivers under the age of 20. If you are caught driving under the influence in New Zealand, you could face fines of up to $10,000 and even jail time.

Emergencies & Accidents

In Australia, vehicle accidents that cause harm to people or property must be reported to the police. You are legally required to stop when involved in an accident. The same practices apply in New Zealand.

Australian Emergency Number: 000

New Zealand Emergency Number: 111 or *555 (from a cell phone)


Have a question about driving in Australia and New Zealand? Comment below and I will help!

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17 Comments


Pete
March 11, 2017 at 9:12 pm
Reply

Sounds like my problems in driving in the USA and Continental Europe!

My passenger’s main task is to remind me whenever I’m drifting to the wrong side of the lane. I might be okay with driving on the wrong side, but I’ll still automatically try to position myself on the right-hand side of the lane. In left-hand-drive nations, that means that half the car will be poking into the next lane. Or onto the footpath. I expect my passenger, facing the guardrails and lightpoles, to nudge me back over to the correct side.

Even then, leaving carparks is a problem. I’m okay with intersections, but leaving a carpark to get back onto the street, I’ll turn left instead of right.

Single-lane roads in rural areas, I’ll pull left while the local pulls right. Not good!

It’s a worry for travellers. Much as I’m familiar with driving on te left, I think we should adopt the other way, so that we are changing gears and fiddling with the radio using our right hands.

I guess it will all be moot in a few years with autonomous cars driving us around.



    Brianna
    March 12, 2017 at 7:44 am
    Reply

    It definitely is tricky to orient yourself to a new side of the road! You just have to keep repeating a “what side of the road should I be on” mantra 😛

Katie Featherstone
March 12, 2017 at 11:11 am
Reply

I can’t even imagine how hard it would be if we had to change the order of brake/accelerator pedals in our heads too, what a nightmare! Great tips, thank-you!



Heather Cole
March 12, 2017 at 4:41 pm
Reply

Some great tips here, it’s always a bit nerve racking driving abroad (I usually let my hubbie do it!). Think I’d be ok in Australia and NZ though since we drive on the left too 🙂 The cows would be a departure from the norm though, makes it more exciting I guess!



Nathan
March 13, 2017 at 2:35 am
Reply

Great list! Here in Thailand we drive on the left and sit on the right and it’s so different for me! It took a while to get used to but now that I’ve been here it actually seems to make more sense!



Juliette | Snorkels to Snow
March 13, 2017 at 5:49 am
Reply

I have the opposite problem when travelling – remembering to drive on the right! I am a New Zealander so all of this makes perfect sense to me, but put me in the US or Canada or any other country opposite to us and I get so confused! My Dad always said to remember that the steering wheel should always be towards the centre line. I think that’s a reasonably good rule of thumb



    Brianna
    March 13, 2017 at 10:08 am
    Reply

    Good tip! I definitely think it would be a challenge either way!

Paul
March 13, 2017 at 8:58 am
Reply

Sounds amazing, we always love to either rent a car or motorbikes as they give you so much more freedom! We will be travelling to Australia and New Zealand soon so we will definitely be doing this!



Castaway with Crystal
March 13, 2017 at 9:09 am
Reply

Yep that pretty much covers it. Also might add that dialling 112 in Australia from a mobile phone will get you emergency wether you have reception or not – it will use whatever tower is available. Good to know that one when hiking, etc in remote areas!



Katie @ Zen Life and Travel
March 13, 2017 at 10:21 am
Reply

Oh man, I can’t even begin to imagine trying to drive on the left side of the road! And roundabouts?! We have a bunch of them where I live and people don’t know how to use them driving on the right – I can’ image them trying to do it all backwards! : )



Corinne
March 13, 2017 at 11:28 am
Reply

For me the hardest thing is coming out of an intersection and turning onto a road with no cars. That’s when I mess up. I need the others to keep me straight. Great info.



    Brianna
    March 13, 2017 at 7:39 pm
    Reply

    Completely agree! The turns are when it gets really strange!

Emily
March 13, 2017 at 12:10 pm
Reply

Good tips, you’ve covered everything you need to know. Renting cars is sometimes the easiest way to get about when you’re abroad as you can make your own schedule.
Although driving on the left is fine for me as I’m from the UK, I can imagine how tricky it is! I haven’t dared to drive on the right yet. I lived in France for a year and it took ages to get used to looking the other way when crossing the road – driving must be much more confusing, especially roundabouts.



10 Things to Do in the Blue Mountains | Archives of Adventure - Travel For The Average Person
March 16, 2017 at 12:20 pm
Reply

[…] Related » Driving in Australia and New Zealand […]



Christine Maguire (@thetraveloguer)
March 17, 2017 at 6:30 am
Reply

Great tips for driving in New Zealand and Australia. Both countries are ideal for road trips so I’m sure this will really come in handy for people! I was lucky enough to be the passenger on road trips there! 🙂



Andrew
March 23, 2017 at 6:01 pm
Reply

Thanks for the useful tips! Australia and New Zealand are high on our ‘top destinations’ list, and it sounds like the rules and etiquette are similar to here in the UK (although here it’s usually sheep, not cows, blocking the roads!). So that’s good to hear! As someone who has grown up with roundabouts I can confirm I still get confused about lanes. 😀



Cannon Law
August 6, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Reply

What a fun experience!



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  • I’m Brianna and I’m possibly the funniest person I know. I’m a total goofball who loves to travel. I fell in love with the world in 2007, when my family and I moved to Sydney, Australia. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to see the world. I'm an ordinary adventurer here to show you how the average person can travel the world.

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