Speed limits

By the end of this topic you can

• You can find the speed limit on any road, signed or unsigned.
• You can explain the default limits inside and outside built-up areas.
• You can follow any learner or P plate speed cap that applies in your state.
• You can choose a speed below the limit when conditions call for it.

What you need to know and understand

• In a built-up area without a speed sign, the default limit is 50 km/h in every state and the ACT. The NT is the exception: its built-up default is 60 km/h, although many NT towns have signed a lower default of 50 km/h or less.
• Outside built-up areas the default is 100 km/h in most places, but it is 110 km/h in WA and the NT. Tasmania sets 80 km/h on unsealed roads outside built-up areas.
• A posted speed limit applies until you pass a sign showing a different limit or an end speed limit sign, or until that road ends.
• Shared zones, where people walk on the road, usually have a low limit such as 10 km/h shown on the sign.
• Learner speed caps vary by state: for example NSW learners must not go above 90 km/h, while in Victoria and Queensland learners follow the posted limit.
• Yellow advisory speed signs on bends are a recommended speed, not the legal limit, but they are there for good reason.

Reading the road when there is no sign

A built-up area is generally a street with street lighting or buildings close together next to it. If you have not passed a speed sign, assume the default limit for that kind of area. When you turn into a new street, the limit from the old street does not automatically follow you.

The NT is the main exception to the 50 km/h urban default, because its built-up default is 60 km/h unless a town has signed a lower one. Some roads anywhere may be signed lower, so always look for signs as you enter new areas.

Learner and P plate limits: varies by state

Your licence stage may cap your speed below the posted limit. These caps are set by each state and change from time to time, so check your own road authority before every new stage.

• NSW: learners and P1 drivers have a 90 km/h cap; P2 drivers 100 km/h.
• Victoria and Queensland: no separate learner cap; you follow the posted limit.
• SA: learners and provisional drivers must not exceed 100 km/h.
• WA: learners must not exceed 100 km/h.
• Tasmania: learners must not exceed 90 km/h, and P1 drivers 100 km/h.
• NT: learners must not exceed 80 km/h unless with a licensed driving instructor, and provisional drivers 100 km/h.
• ACT: check the current rules with Access Canberra.

Limits are a ceiling, not a target

Rain, fog, darkness, gravel, heavy traffic and people walking nearby all mean a safe speed is lower than the sign. Even a few km/h over the limit adds a lot to your stopping distance, which is why speed cameras and police are strict about small excesses.

Common mistakes

• Carrying the previous road's limit into a new street: check for signs every time you turn.
• Treating the limit as the speed you must drive: slow down for conditions.
• Forgetting your own licence cap when the road sign shows a higher number.
• Creeping over the limit on downhill stretches: glance at the speedometer regularly.

Test yourself: Speed limits

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• School Zone Times in Australia
• Default Speed Limits in Australia, Plus L and P Speed Caps