Newfoundland and Labrador speed limits and key traffic laws

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state the default speed limits when no sign is posted.
• You can explain school zone and construction zone rules.
• You can say what to do when a school bus stops with its lights flashing.
• You can apply the move-over law near stopped emergency and designated vehicles.
• You can list places where passing is not allowed.

What you need to know and understand

• With no sign posted: 100 km/h on paved sections of the Trans-Canada Highway, 80 km/h on other paved highways, 60 km/h on gravel roads and 50 km/h through communities and in unmarked school zones.
• Posted school zone limits range from 30 to 50 km/h and often apply 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days.
• Fines for speeding in construction zones are doubled.
• Driving 51 km/h or more over the limit brings a seven-day licence suspension and 6 demerit points.
• Passing a stopped school bus with its signals on carries 6 demerit points.
• The move-over law requires slowing to at least 30 km/h below the limit, and to 30 km/h or less where the limit is under 60 km/h.

School buses and school zones

When a school bus has its flashing lights or stop arm on, traffic from both directions must stop before reaching it. Stay stopped until the bus moves off, the bus driver waves you on or the signals are switched off. On an undivided multi-lane road, every lane in both directions stops.

School zones are marked with the five-sided school sign, and many have digital signs that flash your speed. Assume children may run out.

Slow down, move over

The law protects police, fire, ambulance, search and rescue, tow trucks, enforcement and utility crews stopped with lights flashing. Failing to comply costs 4 demerit points.

1. Slow to at least 30 km/h below the posted limit; where the limit is under 60 km/h, slow to no more than 30 km/h.
2. If there is another lane going your way, move into it when safe, leaving a full lane between you and the stopped vehicle.
3. If you cannot change lanes, keep as far from the vehicle as you safely can, or stop and wait.
4. Pass only when it is safe.

Passing and extreme speed

Only pass where a broken line is on your left and the way is clear. Never pass on a curve, near the top of a hill, on a narrow bridge, at an intersection or railway crossing, within 30 metres of a crosswalk or where a sign forbids it. On passing lanes, oncoming traffic gets first use when it has the lane.

Racing, stunting and driving 51 km/h or more over the limit each bring a seven-day suspension. Our guides to novice rules and demerit points explain how these hit new drivers.

Common mistakes

• Assuming 80 km/h on every highway. Unsigned paved Trans-Canada sections are 100 km/h, but gravel roads are 60 km/h.
• Driving past a school bus in the opposite lane of an undivided road.
• Barely easing off for a tow truck on the shoulder. The law needs a cut of at least 30 km/h.
• Thinking construction zones only count when workers are present. The signs apply whenever they are posted.

Test yourself: Newfoundland and Labrador speed limits and key traffic laws

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

Go deeper

• How to Get a Driver’s Licence in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Newfoundland Demerit Points for Novice Drivers
• Newfoundland Novice Rules