Where there is a Stop sign...

Where there are traffic lights...

Where there are no signs or traffic lights...

Signaling

Signal for at least 5 seconds before moving from a stationary position and when changing lanes. You must give sufficient warning to avoid a collision.

Driving on the Left

Unlike many countries, the law in all Australian states is for motor vehicles to keep to the left of the centre line.

While in Australia, always remember the 'keep to the left' rule for cars.

Overtaking

Line Markings and Overtaking

Remember to keep to the left of the line markings, unless you are overtaking. You cannot overtake when the centerline nearest to you is unbroken.

Below are examples of line markings found on Australian roads, and what they mean.

Penalties

The Police regularly patrol the roads to deter and detect dangerous driving. There are heavy penalties, including fines and on-the-spot licence suspensions, for drivers who are breaking the law. Australian police are authorised to stop any vehicle at anytime.

Police use radar, mobile speed cameras and in some areas, fixed speed cameras to check speeding. They used random breath testing (RBT) by the roadside to detect drink-driving. When the Police require a driver to pull over and stop they will indicate by a siren, flashing lights or by other means such as officer positioned by the road side signalling the driver to pull over. This does not necessarily mean that the driver has committed a traffic offence. But drivers must safely pull over when instructed to do so and cooperate with the Police.

Roundabouts

Giving Way

Give way to all vehicles, including bicycles, already in the roundabout, and only enter where there is a safe gap in the traffic.

Keep an eye on trucks within a roundabout. Because of their size, trucks need to use more room to turn and may swing out wide.

Keep an eye out for cyclists and consider their needs at multi-lane roundabouts.

Signalling

It's very important to choose the correct lane when approaching a multi-lane roundabout. Indicate when entering and always indicate left before exiting the roundabout.

Turning Left

If you are turning left, begin in the left lane, indicate left on approach and continue to indicate left as you exit the roundabout.

Turning Right

If you are turning right, use the right hand lane and indicate right as you approach the roundabout. Indicate left just before you reach your exit.

Going Straight Ahead

If you are going straight ahead, you do not need to indicate on approach, but as you come to your exit, you must indicate left to leave the roundabout.

Seatbelts

It is a legal requirement for everyone, including visitors, to use seatbelts at all times. Children must use appropriate child restraints. Taxi companies can provide customers with a taxi fitted with an approved baby restraint system. Simply call the taxi company and make a booking if you require this service. Fines are imposed if seatbelts are not used. (Refer to the penalties section).

Loading zones

Loading zones are clearly signed areas set aside for short-term use by certain vehicles when loading or unloading goods in the course of business or when dropping off or picking up passengers. Extended parking while loading zones are in operation is not permitted.

Loading zones are available for vehicles that are principally designed and constructed for carrying goods. The majority of 4WD vehicles, hatchbacks and other coupé and sports type vehicles are not principally designed and constructed for carrying goods and are therefore not permitted to use loading zones.

TEXT II

Driving in New South Wales

Visitors driving in New South Wales must observe the licence requirements for visitors. You must carry your licence with you when you are driving. There is an on-the-spot fine for not having your licence with you. Additionally, if your licence is not in English, you must carry an English translation when driving in Australia.

If you are uncertain of any requirement or have other road safety inquiries, telephone the Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW on 132 213.

Speed limits.

Drive at or below the posted speed limit. Slow down more in wet weather. The Police regularly conduct speed checks using speed cameras, radar and lasers along all types of roads.

The general speed limit in cities and towns is 60 km/h but many local and suburban roads have a 50 km/h speed limit.

The maximum speed on highways in New South Wales is 100 km/h. The maximum speed limit on motorways and freeways is 110 km/h. Heavy penalties apply to drivers exceeding the limits.

Driver fatigue

Rest every two hours! Australia is a vast country and car trips outside major cities may take several hours or even days.

Driver fatigue is a serious road safety concern, involved in nearly a fifth of fatal crashes in Australia. If you are driving long distances (such as from a Regional area to Sydney, or to a park and ride interchange location), try to have a passenger with a current driver's licence share the driving with you. You should both have a full night's sleep the previous night, particularly if you are likely to be driving at times when you would normally be asleep.

Take at least a 15 minute break from driving every two hours. This is important even if you are near your destination, as fatigue crashes can occur near a journey's end.

It is also possible for fatigue crashes to happen on short journeys, or near the start of a trip. The way to avoid these is simply not to drive if you feel tired and know your concentration is not at its best.

To find out about the distances between major interstate centres in Australia, use our Time & Distance Calculator.

Alcohol

Australia has strict laws about drinking alcohol and driving. Australian Police are authorised to stop any vehicle and breath test the driver at any time. There is no absolute safe level of alcohol consumption for competent driving. For fully licensed car drivers the legal limit is 0.05 g/100ml. For special licence categories the legal limit is 0.02 (which in practice means no alcohol at all). Learner and provisional drivers or riders (which includes equivalent L and P drivers and riders visiting NSW) must not exceed zero blood alcohol. If tested by the Police, drivers must be below their allowable legal limit.

If you are going to drink any alcohol the best advice is to plan not to drive at all. Guides are available for drinking very moderate quantities of alcohol over time and remaining below the 0.05 legal BAC level (for fully licensed car drivers) but because everybody's metabolism differs the effects of alcohol will not be the same in every case.

The police perform regular roadside "random breath testing" (RBT) of drivers in metropolitan and rural areas. There are heavy penalties for drink driving, including imprisonment (see Laws and Penalties for Alcohol).

TEXT III

Seatbelts

It is a requirement for everyone, including visitors, to use seatbelts at all times. Baby capsules or child restraints must be used for all children.

Motorways and freeways

Because traffic travels at high speed on motorways and freeways, you must be especially alert.

Do not stop on a motorway or freeway, except in an emergency. If you must stop, move off the roadway completely

Do not make a 'U' turn or reverse on a motorway or freeway

Keep to the left, unless overtaking

Hazards

Warning signs usually tell you that there may be dangers ahead. Pictures, diagrams and symbols are used to alert you to danger.

Some of the most commonly seen warning signs are shown below:

TEXT IV

Traffic Signals

A red traffic light means stop, green means go and yellow means you must stop if you can safely do so.

Arrows indicate whether traffic turning right or left is allowed to go (depending on which direction the arrow is pointed). For example, if the traffic lights are green, but an arrow pointing right is red, then traffic turning right is not allowed to go, but traffic going straight ahead is.

In cases where there are no left, or right arrows, a red light will mean 'stop' for everyone, and a green light will mean 'go' for everyone.

A flashing yellow arrow means you can turn, but watch carefully for pedestrians and give way to them.

CommonTrafficSigns

Bicycles

Cycling provides an environmentally friendly alternative mode of transport while delivering health and fitness benefits to the community.

Cycling has a significant role to play in the New South Wales Government’s pursuit of a number of initiatives to decrease car dependence and improving the environment in accordance with the NSW State Plan.

The RTA, in conjunction with the NSW State Government has developed a four point action plan for bicycles in NSW that includes:

Improving the NSW cycle way network.

Making it safer to cycle.

Increase community awareness of bicycles and bicycle use.

Improving personal and environmental health.

The NSW cycle way network

The NSW cycle way network stretches through metropolitan Sydney and regional NSW. The RTA is committed to ensuring provisions are made for bicycles in all new major infrastructures and maintenance works.

In recognition of the fact that most cycling takes place on local roads, the RTA offers joint funding to NSW Councils for the development and implementation of their local bicycle networks.

Cycle way maps.

To help bicycle riders travelling around their communities, the RTA and many councils have produced cycle way maps. These maps are correct at time of publication and are updated as regularly as possible. For local area maps please contact your local council.

Bicycle events.

Throughout the year the RTA supports a number of events that promote bike usage among the community. The list and details of the events can be found in the ‘cycling events’ link at the top right hand corner.

TEXT V

Driving Cars In England.

It is about the same to drive a car in England as anywhere else. To change a punctured tire in the wind and rain gives about the same pleasure outside London as outside Rio de Janeiro; it is not more fun to try to start up a cold motor with the handle in Moscow than in Manchester; the roughly 50-50 proportion between driv­ing an average car and pushing it is the same in Sydneyand Edinburgh.

There are, however, a few characteristics which distin­guish the English motorists from the continental, and some points which the English motorists have to remember.                                                                                        

(1) In English towns there is a thirty miles an hour speed-limit and the police keep a watchful eye on lawbreakers. The fight against feckless driving is directed extremely skillfully andcarefully according to the very best English detective traditions. It is practically impos­sible to find out whether you are being followed by a po­lice car or not. There are, however, a few indications which may help people of extraordinary intelligence and with very keen powers of observation:

(a) The police always use a 13 h.p. blueWolseley car,

(b) three uniformed policemen sit in it; and

(c) on these cars you, can read the word POLICE written in large letters in front and rear, all in capitals — lit up during the hours of darkness.

(2) I think England is the only country in the worldwhere you have to leave your lights on, even if you parkin a brilliantly lit-up street. The advantage being thatyour battery gets exhausted, you cannot start up againand consequently the number of road accidents is greatlyreduced. Safety first!

(3) Only motorists can answer this puzzling question: what are taxis for? A simple pedestrian knows that they Tare certainly not there to carry passengers.

Taxis, in fact, are a Christian institution. They are here to teach drivers modesty and humanity. They teach us never to be overconfident, they remind us that we never can tell what the next moment will bring for us, whe­ther we shall be able to drive on, or a taxi will bump into us from the back or the side.(4) There is a huge ideological warfare going on be­hind the scenes of the motorist world.

Whenever you stop your car in the City, the West End II or many other places, two or three policemen rush at you Rand tell you .that you must not park there. Where may j| you park? They shrug their shoulders. There are a couple of spots on the South Coast and in a village called Minchinhampton. Three cars may park there for half an hour every other Sunday morning between 7 and 8 a.m.

The police are perfectly right. After all, cars have been built to run, and run fast, so they should not stop.

This healthy philosophy of the police has been se­riously challenged by a certain group of motorists who maintain that cars have been built to park and not move. These people drive out to Hampstead Heath or Richmond on beautiful, sunny days; pull up all their windows and go to sleep. They do not get a spot of air; they arc mi­serably uncomfortable; they have nightmares, and the whole procedure is called "spending a lovely afternoon in the open."

CHECKLIST

“TRAFFIC RULES AND SIGNS”

EASY

1:Tick ( ) the one that is right.        

Traffic in Russia is on the ### side of streets and roads.

    : right-hand

    : left-hand

2: Tick ( ) the one that is right.

It is forbidden to drive in the ### lane if the right-hand lane is free.   

    : right-hand

    : left-hand

3: Tick ( ) the one that is right.

The driver ### responsible for the condition of his car.

: am

: is

: are

4: Tick ( ) the one that is right.

The right of way have special service cars( ### ) with warning signals.

: fire cars

: ambulances

: trucks

: passenger cars

5:Выберите из правой колонки английские слова, соответствующие русским эквивалентам в правой колонке. 

L1: brakes

L2: indicators

L3: headlights

L4: tires

R1: фары

R2: шины

R3: тормоза

R4: индикаторы

6: Tick ( ) the one that is right.

The passenger cars can ### to 5 people.

: caries up

: to carry up

: carries up

: carryup

MOREDIFFICULT

1:Найдите соответствующий русский эквивалент данному предложению.

Horn signaling may be used only in case of emergency or in a thick fog.

: Сигнал может быть использован только в случае крайней необходимости или в дождь.

: Сигнал может быть использован только в случае крайней необходимости или при густом тумане.

    2: Tick ( ) the one that is right.

It is forbidden ### on the left-hand side of the street or road.

: to stop

: stops

: stopping

: stop

    3: Tick ( ) the one that is right.

Where there are traffic lights, the traffic in any direction may ### only when the green lights are on.

: moving

: moves

: move

: tomove

4:Найдите соответствующий русский эквивалент данному предложению.    

When making a turn, the driver must allow pedestrians cross the street when-the green lights are on.

: Поворачивая, пешеход должен позволить водителю перейти улицу, если горит зеленый свет.

: Поворачивая, водитель должен позволить пешеходам перейти улицу, если горит зеленый свет.

: Пешеходы должны переходить улицу на зеленый свет.

: Разворачиваясь, водитель должен позволить пешеходам перейти улицу, если горит зеленый свет.

THE MOST DIFFICULT

1: Put the words in the right order to make the sentence.

1. on which he is driving,

2. The speed is regulated

3.  visibilityand also

4. according to he condition of the road

5. by the driver

6. the intensity of traffic

2: Put the words in the right order to make the sentence.

    1. at the "STOP" line

    2. wait

    3. must

    4. the car

    5. While waiting for this signal.

PART V

MEANS OF TRANSPORT

TEXT I