Australian Road Safety Signs and Meanings

Travelling in Australia shouldn’t hand over you too much cause to worry, yet understanding the road safety signs in Australia before you drive onto the roads is well recommended. While most road safety signs in Australia use globally accepted signage, like warning signs and speed limits boards, there are certain road safety signs in Australia that you actually need to understand. 

If you are going out of the cities and into the backcountry, recognising what the road safety signs mean could be the contrast between life and death. So whether you are driving a rental car in Australia for the first time, or you are a constant visitor and know the roadways, a little review on Australia road signs is advised. One this is for certain, you are not probable to see a kangaroo crossing board anywhere else in the planet.

Here, we are explaining the meanings of four of the major sorts of Australian road safety signs:

Regulatory Signs

Regulatory road safety signs point out what you can and cannot carry out on the road, and you should follow the instructions.

• They are simple to notice as they are mostly a blend of white, black, red and yellow. 

• The most popular regulatory road safety signs you will find are speed limit signs, including the school zone and shared zone signs. 

• ‘Give Way’, ‘No Entry’, ‘Pedestrian Crossing’, ‘Keep Left’, ‘Stop’ and ‘One Way’ signs are regulatory signs, and also the ‘Slow’ and ‘Stop’ signs kept by traffic controllers in areas where road work is progressing.

Information Signs

• Information road safety signs can be noticed by their green, white and black colours and give supportive details that may back road users.

• They will mostly notify drivers of what’s coming up in front – for instance, the opening or closure of a freeway, an exit or a dead end.

• They also notify drivers about different lanes such as truck lanes, bicycle lanes, and bus lanes, and about the distance to the next few towns or cities.

Road Work Signs

Roadwork road safety signs are temporary but must still be carried out – this indicates that even if you know the road very well, you should be consciously looking out for road safety signs.

 

• When you notice the ‘Roadwork Ahead’ sign, you should start slowing down and look for more road safety signs, as well as for any other potential hazards.

• You must obey signals from any traffic officer, as well as give space to the workers on the road. 

• Roadworks usually mean you will be required to slow down, generally to a speed of 40km/ph, and these limits are enforceable, otherwise, you can be fined.

 

Obeying road safety signage can also notify you of hazards like loose stones, road or lane terminations, upcoming interim traffic lights and lack markings on road, so it is necessary to be conscious of what road safety signs are around you in roadworks.

Warning Signs

Warning road safety signs are well recognisable because of its black and yellow colours and the diamond shape.

 

• Warning signs on some roads may be red like the crossing sign of railways, or a light green colour, which is used as a warning for pedestrians or kids in that area.

• Warning signs adopt figures and symbols to inform you of possible hazards or risks up ahead – for example, a black cross represents a crossroads is ahead, or a black T implies the road ahead is ending.

• They will also warn curves or sharp turns in front, handing out you the time to properly adjust your driving promptly.

 

In Australia, road warning signals are also handled to notify drivers about animal crossings, like kangaroos, koalas etc, which are recognised to wander onto the road and can create serious damage to cars if hit while driving.