Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Americans Driving in Australia - Any Tips?

Any tips for Americans renting a car and driving in Australia?
The car and road differences have me feeling a little apprehensive.

We have a rental, (automatic/Camry/Hertz) for two days for an excursion from Sydney to Hunter Valley.

Thanks,
Steve

Sydney to the Hunter is a pretty easy drive, you are on Freeway most of the way.

My only advice is, take it easy and remember on our freeways, it's stay in the left lane unless overtaking..not right ;) Try not to do what lots of others do that anooys the crap out of me..and thats cruise in the middle lane doing under the speed limit, which on the F3 freeway is 110km. Though there are some areas where it drops down to 90km , so watch for these as there is a good chance there may be cops hovering around these places.

Also time your trip. The F3 can be very busy during the peak hour, so try to avoid these times.

Oh and stop at the pub at Kearsley, on the way into the Hunter, for their wonderful Guiness pies.

http://www.kearsleyhotel.com.au/

Have fun

Phoebe

Try not to do what lots of others do that anooys the crap out of me..and thats cruise in the middle lane doing under the speed limit, which on the F3 freeway is 110km.


Indeed.

Failing to keep left unless overtaking is offensive in the eyes of God, and under Australian law will see you prosecuted more harshly than kiddy fiddlers and serial killers.

Well, not really, but that's how it would be if I was in charge.

Also bear in mind that Australian cars are not fitted with Daytime Running Lights (like many US models are). This sinful blight on the US automotive landscape has not infested our fair land:

www.lightsout.org

Any supplementary lighting fitted to your rental car will be FOG LAMPS, and should only be used in the event of fog, bushfire smoke, or dust storms.

Also watch out at traffic lights - unlike most US jurusdictions, you cannot turn left (right stateside) on a red light unless there is a sign saying "turn left at anytime with care". You must wait for a green light.

The speed limit on the F3 is 110km/h, but NSW police allow a minimum 10% tolerance, so you can proceed safely at 120km/h without fear of accident or police action.

EXCEPT!!!!!!

There is a fixed speed camera northbound on the F3 - well signposted (3 warning signs before each fixed speed camera in NSW). Be sure to be at 110km/h when crossing the obvious sensor grid embedded in the road surface, about 10 metres past the camera unit. You may then resume your normal cruising speed. Tolerances on fixed speed cameras are only a few km/h.

Follow other drivers! We were fine in NZ until we got out on a country road with no-one for miles... until we go to a T intersection & a poor NZ farmer in his new Audi was trying to turn left. Luckily he saw us & avoided getting hit head-on, but we did T-bone him. Worst part of it all, he was soooo nice about it - I'm still feeling guilty 16 years later!

The best advice I can give you is this:

Keep the center line on your right shoulder.

When turning onto a side street remember above rule:

Regards,
Robert

What works well for me when driving in the USA is to keep on the opposite side of the road as I am used to driving on.

Never had an accident yet using this tactic.

Following the other vehicles in front also works pretty well. ^

I think alot of people worry about driving on the other side of the road, but based on my own experience (and others I've talked to) you adjust very quickly and it's not a worry.

The oddest thing is that on most cars there the steering column controls are "opposite" and so every time you put on your turn signal you actually turn the windshield wipers on. It took me at least a full day to adjust to that (and of course a few hours again upon my return stateside)

The oddest thing is that on most cars there the steering column controls are "opposite" and so every time you put on your turn signal you actually turn the windshield wipers on. It took me at least a full day to adjust to that (and of course a few hours again upon my return stateside)

Thanks for the 'most cars' caveat there as there are some in the rental fleet (Jaguar X-Type) which have the blinkers on the left as American cars do.

I'd agree with the comments here, and add in that you should be prepared for roundabouts, which they love to use in Australia. The rule of thumb is that when you're entering the roundabout, have your turn signal set to whichever direction you're planning to exit the roundabout (ie left to go left, right to exit to the right, no signal to go straight), then signal left as you're exiting the roundabout. On entering, you give way to traffic already in the roundabout.

The one thing I had to adjust to was keeping myself centered properly in the lane, being on the other side of the car. Everyone has a different strategy for keeping centered depending on height/seating position. Also, I can't comfirm it, but expressway lanes did feel to me like they were a little narrower than US lanes (minimum 12').

Also, if you're coming from the Sydney airport, make sure that you've gotten some currency there, because you'll probably have a couple of tollbooths to go through heading north.

Related to the whole speed thing - leave your radar detector at home. Not legal.

Welcome to FT window-seat :)

Great first post after a long lurk. Yes I have a friend who has the same problem (in reverse) driving overseas on the right. Staying in the right lane, managing motorways (we have very few in NZ) and traffic lights/intersections - no problem. But always gets some laughs from me on the constant trouble with wipers!

The Australian Road Rules can be downloaded from the NSW Roads & Traffic Authority website (http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/rulesregulations/downloads/roadraustr_dl1.html?rrlid=21) - might be worth a read.

Also, bear in mind that Random Breath Testing (RBT) is carried out extensively in all Australian states. The limit in all states is 0.05, although some states (not sure which ones, certainly not NSW) apply the special range level of 0.02 to those driving on international licences. Unlike in the Untied States, RBT is not considered a breach of rights, and has done a huge amount to reduce the incidence of drink driving (with consequent reduction in road fatalities).

Enjoy your visit.

Dave

The Australian Road Rules can be downloaded from the NSW Roads & Traffic Authority website (http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/rulesregulations/downloads/roadraustr_dl1.html?rrlid=21) - might be worth a read.

Agreed. I read over this page pretty well before heading down, an it made the acclimation process very easy.


Also, bear in mind that Random Breath Testing (RBT) is carried out extensively in all Australian states. The limit in all states is 0.05, although some states (not sure which ones, certainly not NSW) apply the special range level of 0.02 to those driving on international licences. Unlike in the Untied States, RBT is not considered a breach of rights, and has done a huge amount to reduce the incidence of drink driving (with consequent reduction in road fatalities).


And they'll check anywhere, any time of day. They had a stop set up in the middle of nowhere on the Hume Hwy in one of the 2-lane sections at 1pm on a Wednesday in early December.

Failing to keep left unless overtaking is offensive in the eyes of God, and under Australian law will see you prosecuted more harshly than kiddy fiddlers and serial killers.and rightly so,
Oh how I wish the US would implement a stay right unless overtaking rule!

Per the other feedback, no problems at all, you will adjust. I found the highways and streets to be easy. My only times of being a moron when driving happened in the parking lots. A look of "what the F are you doing!" from other drivers quickly helped me adjust. :)

Keeping centered in the lane was my biggest problem. I did hit the curb a few times in the city but no harm done....I think. :) I actually had to concentrate to keep centered as I kept gradually moving to the left side of the lane, terrifying the wife quite a bit! The roundabouts where the next obstacle I had that I really didnt anticipate, I still dont know the rules but just step on the accelator and hang on and you will be ok. Ok, maybe thats not the best advice but it worked for me....you may just want to use bdjohns1's rule of thumb above. ;)

Also, I can't comfirm it, but expressway lanes did feel to me like they were a little narrower than US lanes (minimum 12').


I agree that the lanes in Australia - and Europe - are narrower than in the US. I learnt to drive in Australia, but have had to drive much more in the US than I ever had to in Oz (because I lived for years in an area of Sydney where there was plenty of public transport, and at that time the problems that city seems to be experiencing with mass transit weren't as bad).

Adjusting to driving over there again when I visit now is more difficult than the adjustment to driving in the US was, and the narrower lanes are a part of that. I find it more difficult to judge distances on the opposite side of the vehicle.

My first experience driving on the wrong side of the road was in Scotland. I had the exact same problem others mentioned here: difficulty staying centered in the lane. I found myself routinely drifting too far to the left. Got a lot better towards the end of the trip though and after a week of driving I had pretty much corrected the tendency.

I found it amusing on a business trip here in the states with an Australian colleague that she had the exact same issue here - but always favored the right side of the lane as opposed to my drift to the left!

A year later I was in Australia and with memories of my Scottish driving managed to avoid entirely the hug the left side of the lane tendency. I found the highways around greater Sydney to be more congested than I was anticipating. My choice of day to daytrip to the Blue Mountains was particularly poor - Sunday. Construction may have been a contributing factor but the highway back down from the hills on a Sunday evening was stop and go all the way until the start of the motorway at the westernmost outpost of the Sydney suburbs.

My big thing was traffic circles. CLOCKWISE.

Timothy

Damn things are everywhere.

My big thing was traffic circles. CLOCKWISE.

Timothy

Damn things are everywhere.


especially in Canberra

especially in Canberra

But there's no one in Canberra, so it's not so much of a hazard. ;)

Timothy

Convention on Road Traffic
(Geneva, 19 September 1949)
Article 9
1. All vehicular traffic proceeding in the same direction on any road shall keep to the same side of the road, which shall be uniform in each country for all roads. Domestic regulations concerning one-way traffic shall not be affected.


I suspect that hundreds of lives and millions of dollars are lost every year because the 1949 Convention on Road Traffic did not grasp the nettle and decide on one side or the other.

To make this decision today would be horrendously expensive but it should be done for the sake of future generations. Right or left could be determined at a new convention using a toss of a coin and those countries needing to change given a suitable time period (say until 1 Jan. 2020) to implement

Traffic circles will always be a tough adaptation for those not familiar with them. I found just coming out of a parking lot a challenge, if I did not think about it before getting to the driveway.

Two big embarrassments, turn signals vs wipers and looking the wrong way when crossing the street. Fortunately, looking both ways is a good idea, even on a one way street...I might be driving there!

Lots of "back stree circle routes", ie. at the Hyatt in Canberra. This is the place for viewning a War Memorial. It was a two day event for me and the Mrs.

Did the same SYD - Hunter in November and it wasn't bad. Re: wipers/turn signal --It's been a couple of months now and just the other day (here at home) I hit the turn signal instead of turning on the wipers.
Forget trying to parallel park--everything (mirrors, other vehicles) is in the wrong place. Once you get up to the Hunter, you'll be fine. Try Blaxland's Restaurant next to Tower Estate in Pokolbin. Excellent food, good prices.
Also drove the Great Ocean Road from Adelaide to Melbourne. Driving in the countryside is a piece of cake.

Re: wipers/turn signal --It's been a couple of months now and just the other day (here at home) I hit the turn signal instead of turning on the wipers.
Phew. I've only been back home for a few days and I'm still doing this, so now I don't feel so bad. I'm batting a thousand when it comes to getting into the car on the proper side at least. :)

But there's no one in Canberra, so it's not so much of a hazard. ;)

Timothy

And all you'll hit is a politician anyway, so we thank you. ^

I suspect that hundreds of lives and millions of dollars are lost every year because the 1949 Convention on Road Traffic did not grasp the nettle and decide on one side or the other.
Ahh, yes, but we up here on Queensland, being the forward thinkers as we are well know to be, have found our own solution to the problem. We will be migrating to follow our US and European friends to drive on the right-hand-side of the road. But, as the huge cost of the change process has been calculated to be far more than even an affluent state such as Queensland can afford, our labour Premier, Mr Beatle, has devised a staged master migration plan.

Commencing on 1st April 2005, as the most competent and experienced drivers, "professional" such as taxi, truck (lorry) and bus drivers will be required to operate their vehicles on the right-hand-side of the road. This will include maneuvering around round-abouts anti-clockwise and turning right at red traffic lights after stopping. These drivers have been selected for the first phase because it is unlikely the Main Roads Department will have the signs, road markings and traffic lights established for right-hand-side driving by the start date, and we all know that these drivers do not require any assistance from such signs, markings and signals to operate their vehicles.

Following an evaluation period of 3 months at the commencement of the initial 9 month trial period, the second phase of the migration will commence on 1st April 2006. In this phase, all two-wheeled vehicles including motorised and unpowered vehicles as well as horses and mules will commence using the right-hand-side of the roads. This category of vehicles has been selected as the most likely to success in the transition process since they can be quickly moved to the opposite side of the road if the driver/rider forgets and suddenly realises they are on the incorrect side of the road. Other modes of transport that fit loosely into this category, such as rollerblades, tricycles and wheelchairs may be operated on either side of the road at the driver/riders discretion during this phase of the migration process.

It is expected that a much shorter evaluation period will be required at the completion of this second phase, so it will continue until 28th Feb 2007. During this evaluation period, where the success of the change process will be measured, all driving will revert to the left-hand-side of the road, except for taxis carrying fare paying passengers and government operated public busses between the hours of 6am and 9am on weekdays.

The remaining Queensland drivers of passenger cars will transition during the third and final phase. However, it is expected that the change will require considerable practice for some older members of the driving public, so their introduction to the RHS driving will be rostered. Drivers of vehicles with even numbered license plates will use the RHS on Mondays and Wednesdays. Odd numbered plated vehicles will use the RHS on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Vehicles with number plates commencing with a vowel, regardless of the number being even of odd, will use the RHS on Fridays and Saturdays. Sundays is reserved for vehicles with personalised number plates and those regular plates with a number that commences with a vowel (such as Eight).

This rostered process will continue for the first 90 days of the third phase (from 1st April 2007 until 29th June 2007). After that time, all such vehicles will be required to use the right-hand-side of the road. This will mark the completion of the traffic migration process. It should be noted that farm machinery and equipment is not specifically included in any of the migration phases. Such vehicles are currently routinely operated on both sides of the road so it was considered unnecessary to specify a particular change-over time.

Mr Beatle is working closely with the Premier of NSW, Mr Brrmmm, to determine how to interface the different road systems at the state borders. So far, Mr Brrmmm has resisted Mr Beatle's suggestion that the state boarder be moved south to Newcastle, at which point the interconnection of the two road systems would appear seamless as the traffic merged at the freeway extremity.

So driving from Sydney to the Hunter Valley should not be a problem for you. Just make sure you don't get into the wrong side of the car and sit in the passenger seat wondering who stole the steering wheel.

The Australian Road Rules can be downloaded from the NSW Roads & Traffic Authority website (http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/rulesregulations/downloads/roadraustr_dl1.html?rrlid=21) - might be worth a read.


Dave

Are the road rules common acorss all states now Dave ? If not, this would be the NSW road rules only.

I'd agree with the comments here, and add in that you should be prepared for roundabouts, which they love to use in Australia. The rule of thumb is that when you're entering the roundabout, have your turn signal set to whichever direction you're planning to exit the roundabout (ie left to go left, right to exit to the right, no signal to go straight), then signal left as you're exiting the roundabout. On entering, you give way to traffic already in the roundabout.


Actually, the correct rule is:

- if you are taking the first exit, you indicate left (the first exit could in fact be straight ahead of you)
- if you are taking an exit that is relatively straight, you indicate left just before exit (to show other cars you are leaving the roundabout).
- if the exit is to your right, you indicate right at first, but then change it to left just before exiting the roundabout. This is because some roundabouts have five or six exits, and it shows other drivers when you are leaving the roundabout.

Confused now ?

Are the road rules common acorss all states now Dave ? If not, this would be the NSW road rules only.

That is why they are the Australian Road Rules and not the New South Wales Road Rules.

There are some minor differences between the states still since they standardised it all back in 1999, but they are related to things like demerit points and so on.

They standardised them so that interstate terrorists would not be able to claim "sorry officer, that is legal in my state" and so on. Also, to eliminate the ridiculous situation which applied in Victoria where if you were turning left at an intersection you had to give way to a car coming the other way which was turning right into the same street you were turning into.

Dave

That is why they are the Australian Road Rules and not the New South Wales Road Rules.

There are some minor differences between the states still since they standardised it all back in 1999, but they are related to things like demerit points and so on.

They standardised them so that interstate terrorists would not be able to claim "sorry officer, that is legal in my state" and so on. Also, to eliminate the ridiculous situation which applied in Victoria where if you were turning left at an intersection you had to give way to a car coming the other way which was turning right into the same street you were turning into.

Dave

Yes - that was an absolute ridiculous rule. They still have that thing where you turn right from the left lane due to the trams though !!

I've been out of the country since 1998 .... so I guess I missed the standardisation !

My big thing was traffic circles. CLOCKWISE.
Timothy
Damn things are everywhere.
Our technique is to have the passenger constantly reminding "keep left," which is most useful coming to the roundabouts.
It is now a conditioned reflex with my wife who drones it continually whenever we drive in the UK and hopefully this will continue come May in Australia.

In Australia, street name signs are at the corner, not well before the corner as in the USA.

In Australia, street name signs are at the corner, not well before the corner as in the USA.


Main roads will have large signs well before the intersection of another main road.

One thing I forgot to mention, which most tourists do not seem to know (and drives me mad), in Australia you MUST park your vehicle facing the same way as the direction of the nearest traffic lane. You CANNOT cross over to the other side of the road to grab a parking spot facing the wrong way.

Also, check all roadside signs before parking, for things like 'NO STOPPING', 'TAXI ZONE', 'BUS ZONE' and so on.

As a general rule of thumb, if the sign is red you cannot park there, if it is green you can. Read the sign fully though, as things like bus zones might be time specific.

Dave