Sharing the road in South Australia

By the end of this topic you can

• You can give bicycle riders the legal minimum space when passing.
• You can drive safely and legally near trams and stopped trams.
• You can stay out of a truck's blind spots and leave it room to turn and stop.
• You can respond correctly to emergency vehicles, level crossings, horses and wildlife.

What you need to know and understand

• When passing a bicycle rider, leave at least 1 metre where the limit is 60 km/h or less, and 1.5 metres where it is over 60 km/h.
• To give that space you may cross dividing lines or straddle lanes, but only if you can see clearly and it is safe.
• Mobility scooter users travelling under 10 km/h count as pedestrians.
• If a tram stops where there is no safety zone or island, you must stop while any pedestrian is on the road; if none are, you may pass at no more than 10 km/h.
• Trucks over 7.5 metres long carry Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle signs and may use more than one lane to turn.
• Do not enter a level crossing when lights are flashing, bells are ringing, barriers are down or a train or tram is approaching.
• You must not park within 20 metres before or after the rails at a level crossing.

People on foot and on bikes

Give way to pedestrians crossing the road you turn into, to people on or entering a crossing, and to pedestrians and riders on the footpath when you use a driveway. Bicycle riders may legally ride two abreast and on footpaths, so watch driveways and corners carefully.

Before opening your door, check your mirror and look over your shoulder. The Dutch Reach, opening the door with the hand furthest from it, turns your body so you see a rider coming.

Trams, buses and trucks

• Do not drive in tram lanes unless signs allow it, and do not pass a tram on the right unless a sign or marking permits it.
• Do not pass a tram on the left when it is turning or signalling left, unless you are also turning left and it is safe.
• In a built-up area, give way to a bus with a give way to buses sign that is signalling to leave the kerb.
• A truck's blind spots are beside the left door, close behind and directly in front. If you cannot see the driver in their mirror, they cannot see you.
• Never cut in front of a truck slowing for lights; it needs far more distance to stop.

Emergency vehicles, horses and animals

Move out of the path of a police or emergency vehicle using a siren or flashing red or blue lights. You may break another road rule to do this, but only if it is safe. When passing a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing lights, slow to 25 km/h.

Treat a horse as a possible hazard: slow down, pass wide and quietly, never rev or use the horn, and stop and switch off if the horse is unsettled or the rider signals. For animals on country roads, brake slowly and smoothly, use your horn and lights, and do not swerve. Kangaroos are most active at night and around dawn.

Common mistakes

• Squeezing past a cyclist in the same lane. If you cannot leave 1 or 1.5 metres safely, wait behind.
• Driving past a stopped tram at normal speed. Stop for pedestrians, then pass at no more than 10 km/h.
• Sitting beside a truck's left door at an intersection. It may turn left across your path.
• Swerving for a kangaroo. Swerving often causes worse crashes than braking in a straight line.

Test yourself: Sharing the road in South Australia

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

Go deeper

• High-Powered Vehicles and the U Class Licence in South Australia
• Learning to Drive in South Australia
• South Australia Health Professional Reporting