New road laws for Victoria from November
September 11, 2009 by Matt Brogan
Vicroads has announced a raft of new road laws aimed at making Victorian roads safer, all to be effective from November 9 this year.
The changes apply to mobile phone & satellite navigation use, child restraints, motorcycle pillion passengers, U-turns and overtaking, seatbelts, cyclists, wheeled recreation devices, driving with trams and parking.
Mobile Phones & Visual Display Units:
Using a mobile phone to make or receive a phone call while driving is prohibited except if the phone is secured in a commercially designed holder fixed to the vehicle, or can be operated by the driver without touching any part of the phone.
All other functions, including video calls, text and email, are prohibited.
Holding the phone, whether you are engaged in a phone call or not, is also prohibited. Holding includes resting the mobile on the driver’s lap. Learner and P1 drivers, are not permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving.
A satellite navigation device must not be used if it is not an integrated part of the vehicle or is not secured in a commercially designed holder that is fixed to the vehicle.
Television receivers or visual display units must not be used when the car is mobile if any part of the screen is visible to the driver or is likely to distract another driver.
For more information about this rule, click here.
Child Restraints:
All children under seven years of age must wear a child restraint or booster seat when travelling in a car for improved safety. The type of restraint will depend on the age of the child as follows:
- New born to six months: to be restrained in a properly fastened and adjusted approved rearward facing child restraint
- Six months to four years: to be restrained in either a properly fastened and adjusted approved rearward or properly fastened and adjusted approved forward facing child restraint with inbuilt harness
- Four to less than seven years: to be restrained in either a forward facing child restraint with an inbuilt harness or booster seat restrained by a correctly adjusted and fastened seatbelt or child safety harness
There are also new laws about where children can sit in vehicles.
If a car has two or more rows of seats, then children under four years must not travel in the front seat. If all seats, other than the front seats, are being used by children under seven years, children aged between four and six years (inclusive) may travel in the front seat, provided they use an approved child restraint or booster seat.
For more information about this rule, click here.
U-Turns & Overtaking:
New rules will also apply to making a U-turn or overtaking another vehicle. These are as follows:
- Centre dividing line: a driver will not be able to overtake, or do a U-turn across a single continuous centre line, or a single continuous line to the left of a broken line. A driver can however cross over a centre dividing line (except a double continuous centre dividing line) when entering or leaving the road
- Lane lines: a driver must not change lanes over a single continuous lane line
- Painted islands: a driver must not drive over a painted island that is surrounded by a single continuous line. A driver can however drive over the island if they are entering or leaving the road, or entering a turning lane that begins immediately after the painted island. A driver must not drive over a painted island at a freeway on-ramp. It is also illegal to drive on a painted island that is surrounded by a double line.
For more information and diagrams concerning this rule, click here.
Seatbelt Use:
Drivers are required to make sure seatbelts and child restraints are used by all passengers. When all seatbelts or child restraints are used, no extra unrestrained passengers are permitted in the vehicle (implemented December 2008).
This rule does not apply to the driver of a bus. The rule also does not apply to a taxi driver with passengers 16 years old or older. However, an adult passenger commits an offence themselves if they travel in a taxi without a seatbelt.
There are also exemptions for some types of vehicles that are not required to be fitted with seatbelts.
For clarification of this rule, or for more information, click here.
Motorcyclists:
There are three new rules for motorcyclists. They are as follows:
- No passengers under eight years old: a young child under eight years of age cannot be carried as a passenger on a motorcycle, unless in a sidecar
- Travelling in a sidecar: when a sidecar is used, it can only carry the number of passengers for which it is designed
- No animals between rider and handlebars: animals can’t be carried between the rider and the handlebars of a motorcycle
For more information about this rule, click here.
Cyclists:
There are several changes cyclists will need to heed from November 9. These rules concern the use of a safety helmet, proper bike seating for passengers as well as changes to how a cyclist may turn from, and stop in, bicycle boxes at traffic signals.
- Seat and helmet: a bicycle passenger must wear an approved bicycle helmet and sit on a proper seat when riding on a bicycle
- Area reserved for cyclists (bicycle box): a driver must stop at the first line of the bicycle box while a cyclist must stop at the second line, within the bicycle box
- Turning at intersections: when turning at intersections with a bicycle box a bicycle rider must be in the left lane of the reserved area to make a left turn or in the right lane of the reserved area to make a right turn
For more information and diagrams concerning this rule, click here.
Wheeled Recreational Vehicles:
Scooters, skateboards and roller blades are called Wheeled Recreational Devices in the road rules.
A scooter has two or more wheels and a footboard supported by the wheels. It is steered by handlebars, designed to be used by one person and propelled by any one or more of the following: gravity, the user pushing one foot against the ground, an electric motor or motors (with the maximum power output of 200 watts).
Wheeled Recreational Devices can travel on footpaths and on roads where the speed limit is 50km/h per hour or less.
For more information about this rule, click here.
Drivers:
Whilst all of the new road rules affect drivers, these rules are additional new road safety rules particularly for drivers. They include the following:
- At an intersection, a driver must stop at the first stop line and must not enter the area for cyclists when the traffic light is red
- If a driver is blocking a driveway, the driver is only allowed two minutes to pick up or drop off passengers and must not leave the vehicle unattended
- A driver must not have another person or animal on their lap when driving
- If two vehicles, for example a bicycle and a car or two motorcycles, are travelling in the same single marked lane and one vehicle diverges to the left or right within the marked lane, the diverging vehicle must give way
For more information about this rule, click here.
Driving with Trams:
When sharing the road with trams, a driver must stop before passing the rear of a stopped tram at a tram stop. Once the tram doors are closed and pedestrians have crossed between the tram and kerb, a driver may then proceed at no more than 10 km/h past the tram.
Unless there is a sign which permits parking, a driver must not stop or park within 20 metres of a tram stop.
Tram lanes are identified by a solid yellow line and overhead signage that shows an image of a tram and the word ‘LANE’. It is important to note that some tram lanes operate full-time, while others are part-time.
Part-time tram lanes have the same sign as a full-time tram lane, but the sign also shows the days and times that it functions as a tram lane.
A driver may drive in a tram lane for up to 50 metres to enter or leave the road or to avoid an obstruction.
For more information and diagrams concerning this rule, click here.
Parking:
New rules will also govern how we park. These are as follows:
- Slip lane: stopping to park in a slip lane or on a painted island will be prohibited. A slip lane is an area of road for vehicles turning left. It is separated from other parts of the road by a painted island or traffic island
- Parallel parking: unless parking signs show otherwise, and provided there is at least three metres of clear road between the car and the centre dividing line for other cars to pass (see diagram), a driver can park opposite: double continuous dividing lines; a single continuous dividing line; a single continuous line to the left or right of a broken dividing line; a dividing strip. However, a driver is permitted to park opposite a broken line without leaving three metres clear between the parked car and the broken dividing line
- Heavy or long vehicles: cannot be parked on a road in a built-up area for longer than one hour, unless parking signs show otherwise or the driver is picking up or setting down goods
- Moving parked vehicles: when moving a parked vehicle to another parking spot, the driver must move the vehicle off the length of road, or out of the area, to which the parking sign applies
For more information and diagrams concerning this rule, click here.
Print it: 
Be aware all drivers from any state that decides to drive on roads occupied with trams as well that if you want to turn right you MUST NOT delay a tram by law. If you are unable to turn right due to traffic coming in the opposite direction you must keep moving forward down the road and only turn if traffic is clear to do so.
All these tram related laws can be enforced by tram drivers and not just the Police. We have various forms that we fill out like “Car passing staionery tram” etc that we fill out and pass onto the Police. All we actually need is the registration number, colour and make of vehicle. You must remember that a tram weighs a minimum 22 and a half tonnes and motorists must remember to treat them as a heavy vehicle when they decide to pull in front of a tram or do a U Turn in front of one. A tram driver in the event of a situation when its a choice of hitting a vehicle or using the dead mans brake which will injure many people possibly on the tram will normally take the chance with the vehicle if there is no other option. So my best advice is not take the risk like many do. if a accident occurs in such instances and the tram driver has been found to not have any other choice but to hit a vehicle that has not given enough distance to pull in front of a tram to either turn or brake quickly the fault will be placed on the car driver ahead regardless of the car driver being rear ended. The car driver can also be charged with numerous traffic offences as well as being up for a fortune in expenses relating to the disruption of services which by memory (may have changed since I last read up on it and as such could be much more as a result of new laws governing late and early running at specific timing points) is around $100 per minute per tram held up as well as any damage to a tram which is far more expensive to fix than a car.
Last of all remember us tram drivers are car drivers as well so we do know that trams can be a hinderance sometimes when you are in a hurry but nothing is worth the risk of either injuring or killing yourself in a accident with a tram or facing multiple charges if you pass a stationery tram whilst people are boarding or allighting. Some passengers are elderly or disabled or both and are not always quick exiting or boarding a tram so in order to erase any hope of injuring or killing a passenger do NOT start to pass a tram until all the doors have closed and the hazard warning indicators have turned off. Once they are off and for example the tram is stopped at a red light remember you must NOT drive over 10km a hour incase the doors of a Tram open during a red light cycle or green light cycle.
Oh and finally the consequences of even just passing a tram whilst its stationery is high even if no one is hurt with the fine being over $200 and the loss of 3 demerit points and PLEASE remember Police DO NOT need to be the only ones to see this offence occur, Trams drivers ARE by law allowed to take down the details of a offending driver and the chances of being fined are very real indeed. Many Tram drivers like myself know every make and model of car on the road by sight and only need to note the registration number, colour of car, time of offence and where offence got taken. Video cameras are also used at times to record a vehicle as a offence is happening (TRAM CAM). Thank you for reading this and please take it on board and everyone will be safer for it.
P.S. edit time elapsed hence the 2nd post.
Nice to know people endangering tram passengers (and drivers) are being policed. Thanks for this encouraging news Tram Driver. Hopefully people will pay attention!
Not a problem NacaYoda, its not just tram driverz and passengers who are at risk but the motorists themselves are placing themselves at risk. The ammount of times I have had to do a semi track brake movement just to slow down a small ammount is many due to motorists taking risky behaviour and that is when its a 30 metre gap between us and the car. When they stop and allow you 10 to 20 metres thats when there is a real danger of serious damage occuring due to the mass of the tram and the fact that tracks can also be slippery from grass, leaves etc and not only rain (when we do get it.) I am fortunate to have only had 3 minor fender benders with cars versus my tram after the car has veared to the right hitting the side of my tram when they have noticedeither a car is double parked or there is stopped traffic ahead BUT I have seen some extremely serious accidents which have resulted in serious injury and on a couple of occassions death one of which will always stick in my mind as i was the tram heading in the opposite direction of a tram involved in a head on after the car veered into its path. Funilly enough one of the minor accidents I had was with a lady whose own car was being repaired in a panel beaters and she was driving their lown car. Another guy ran into the back of my tram as he was reading a map. These are all in a 15 year career in that industry which came after 10 years working in the banking industry. i know which job has more dramas but considering we are paid pretty well due to the shift allowances and get free travel I suppose we are to expect some dramas over time.
Rumour has it Qld – from October 12 – is going to start fining motorists for having their fog lights on in dry weather, FINALLY!
About time
They might as well ban ordinary low beam headlights too because they’re even more dazzling than foglights, which should be called ultra low beams by the way.
Foglights! What part of that word do you now understand?
Foglights make absolutely no difference to the vision of drivers coming in the opposite direction and -despite the name- basically increase short-range side vision, which I appreciate. I think its ridiculous that they’re banned, why dont they ban those irritating Bi-Xenon headlights then?
Oh wait, they cant.
Agree. Stupid to ban them. They’re probably banned because of all the whingers in Australia or an easy way to raise revenue. Foglights are useless in fog, so they shouldn’t even be called foglights; should be renamed ‘ultra low beams’ They cast a low, short beam, and can’t affect vision of drivers coming in the opposite direction. I’ve noticed the majority of them to be the case. Only a small percentage of them are misaligned; there are more low beam headlights that are misaligned than these ‘ultra low beam lights’.
great more rules. soon there’s be no one driving on the road but police and public transport. and the double lines, in my l’s test i failed cause i thought you were only allowed to cross a double line for entering or leaving a road. turn out in qld you can’t cross a double line at all.
To much spare time on their hands….
if only police would fine people for bad headlights or high beams – driving lights (foglights are orange) should also be aligned correctly, if done so it should cause no concern. but for every ten cars you pass at least 3 would have at least one overly bright headlight. and dont they have rules governing how high truck headlights can be, wish that rule would apply to 4WDs.
Foglights are not always orange as there is yellow as well. Heavy trucks and FWDS are the worst offenders.
Some similar policies for bus drivers (as apply to tram drivers) would be nice too. As a bus driver myself I’ve lost count of the number of motorists who fail to give way to buses trying to depart a bus stop (and some drivers think they have a god given right to drive on past…). I’d love to report offending drivers and actually have them booked… A final word, remember that the peak hour tram or bus delaying you has taken (when is is full) at least 30 cars off the road so your trip to your destination can be quicker. Imagine the chaos if all the buses and trams were taken off the road!
Darren W, maybe if you directly reported them to Crimestoppers via the hoon law or even just report it as a dangerous driving matter and if possible try to get a witness like one of the Passengers on your bus. Yes we go through Yarra Trams with our reports but we can also do it directly via the VicPol site if we would like to go through VicPol directly with a driver complaint. Oh by the way, we no longer get paid overtime for any of our reports we fill like we did in the past but I believe that shouldn’t stop me from making those irrwsponcible drivers accountable for their action and not only if its caused a injury or death which has also happened many times in my industry.
Agree with Tram Driver above. I’ll always put my passengers and my safety above anyone else, especially those who intrude onto tram tracks. AFAIAC anything on the tram side of the yellow line is fair game!
TRAM v. OBSTACLE = (car / pedestrian / random object loose always)
One ding means “I’m here”
Two dings mean “I’m closer”
Three plus dings mean “I cannot swerve numb-nuts, collision imminent”
Anything more mean “The last sound you’ll ever hear”
So true Another Tram Driver regarding the graduated gong system. End up with a sore thumb sometimes the ammount of times I have had to use the gong to warn others of the close vicinity of a heavy Tram vehicle with priority on all Tram Tracks. Only one class of tram does continuous gongs without having to keep pressing the button and this tram also has a horn which is sometimes of better use. Only problem with these ones is a lack of external P.A. to make announcements even if just to let others know about the intention to report them for a offence or to politely remind them of the danger they are putting themseles and others in with some of their road manners.
It’s interesting to hear the views of tram drivers, but if there’s one thing that gets my goat about some of them is the way they play with their gong. I have witnessed countless cases where a tram driver will gong away at some obstacle which has no chance of moving away….. yet the gong gongs on.
Reckless1, we are supposed to sound the Gong when we are passing some parked vehicles especially large vehicles because we experience many people who just walk out in front of trams (quite often with headphones on or talking on their mobile phone). There is really no such thing as excessive gonging as we are a heavy vehicle with no room for error due to no steering ability. Its better to sound the gong a few times than hit someone who hasnt looked out for traffic or isn’t really paying attenttion. There wouldn’t be a tram driver with a few years driving behind them who hasnt had a close call with a pedestrian or another motorist who hasn’t seen us approaching and that is the most common excuse when a accident occurs despite a tram being in the vicinity of 30 metres long about 8 foot in height and unmistakable for a heavy vehicle. So basically its not playing with the gong its warning people of danger.
Dear Tram Driver
It is wonderful that you can initiate fines against car drivers. Where do concerned citizen go to get some action against tram divers who break the law – or is it legal for trams to go through red lights and speed?
I live and work near the Glen Huntly tram depot and I am becoming very concerned about the way some tram drivers behave (who knows it might always be the same driver but I doubt it).
Try these examples:
I had to brake suddenly and back up urgently (despite facing a green light) to avoid a tram hiting me when he was determined to keep on going with a right turn from Hawthorn Rd into Glen Huntly Rd – which he started after the lights went red for him.
I have followed a tram on Hawthorn Rd during mid-afternoon who must have been doing 65kmh plus as he was going away from me doing 60kmh (GPS measured)
At the tram stop outside Elsternwick station a tram takes off across the pedestian crossing well afetr the lights had gone red.
Several instances of trams taking off from stationary at Hawthorn Rd and Kooyong Rd after the traffic lights they were facing had turned red – and they disn’t have any tarm lights allopwing them to go!
No to mention stopping behind cars trying to reverse park in Glen Huntly Rd and continuosly ringing their bell to harass the car drivers into moving on
What is the story with aggro tram drivers
Anything to make another buck off unsuspecting motorists. Look at all these new rules they come up with. Is there any rule devised which ensures each and every motorist will be aware of all the changes? And as for foglights on in the daytime, is that the same for driving lights that came fitted to the car from the factory. As far as I understand foglights are tinted yellow to help penetrate fog, driving lights are there simply to light up additional road to either side. Driving lights in the day serve only to increase a cars visibility to other motorists. I dont understand whey theres such a big deal made about things like this, when HID and XENON headlights fitted to luxury cars and 4WDs are perfectly acceptable. At night these types of lights can easily dazzle oncoming drivers because of the sheer intensity of light they put out, especially when placed higher up as with 4WD’s. A hell of a lot more dangerous than some factory fitted driving lights turned on in the daytime for goodness sake! Glare off any semi-reflective surface is ten times more dazzling than that!
best not to think about it. some of recent additions to the road rules are absolutley rediculous..
next thing to be banned/fined will be manual cars,smoking,using an ipod,putting lipstick on/doing ones hair,and perving on good sorts.maybe they ban roadside advertising while their at it…
Wow more rules.
Lucky, I guess there just wasn’t enough rules aready.
I wonder how we poor proles ever survived with out them.
As far more accidents and deaths on the road are caused through driver distraction than through speeding. Measures that helps to keep the driver focused on what they should be doing (ie. driving) rather than things such as putting on make-up, sending text messages, etc should be encouraged.
You could also put things such as roadside advertising signs and speed cameras into this catagory as well.
WOW…reading that is 5mins I will never get back….have we come so far….
alot of these rules Ive had to read 3 times and I still dont get some of them.
It would be really good if they had the current rule. and how its going to change come Novemeber.
That way we can relate it to how we drive at the moment, and we can see how we are meant to change.
having this long list of changes is abit hard to remember and relate to.
Thanks Tram Driver. Your piece is enlightening. As an out-of-towner, I recently got to know that I’ve to stop behind a stationary tram. All the other stuff you mentioned helps me to treat trams on Vic roads with the care and respect they deserve.
TramDriver, “if you want to turn right you MUST NOT delay a tram by law. If you are unable to turn right due to traffic coming in the opposite direction you must keep moving forward down the road”
I’m not from Victoria and had not had much experinece in driving on roadswith trams, but in what circumstance would you be turning right from the same lane as the tram? Wouldn’t you do a hook turn, or is this not on all roads?
Very imformative post by the way, thanks.
Thanks Bor’ka, its my pleasure…. Hookturns are only implemented in city of Melbourne streets and in Clarendon Street South Melbourne. Every other street has normal right turn from right lane policy. have a good one and take care out there.
All the new rules explained with a Flash video.
eg: Driving with trams
http://www.roadrules.vicroads......rams.html#
The new rule about single lines should not have been made. We already have a double white line rule, so what’s wrong with painting 2 lines – oh, gosh, silly me – that would require spending some of the money they gouge off us, whereas a new rule means they can gouge some more…..
Given that there are next to no police cars or policing of Victorian roads, the govn can pass any law it likes – no enforcement – no impact. The only way this lazy govn will enforce if it can use some technology, preferably stealth, to enforce. Victorian roads must be about the most dangerous in the country – no annual road worthy checks, overtaking on the inside etc.
More rules. The road traffic act used to be a few pages, something that all drivers could memorise. Now the road traffic act is a bloody thesis and no one has a chance of committing the whole thing to memory. Ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law, yet how would it be possible to know all laws and bi-laws that our leaders come up with. time to change our number plates. “Victoria – The nanny state”
I dont get the thing with the car headlights!! all motorcycles have their headlights on day or night (they cant be turned off), why cant cars have theirs on? i get angry with cars on high beam at night when you oncoming to it, but i would think that you would be able to see a car much better during the day if they had their light on also
The wording of the changes in relation to bicycles is sloppy!
eg.
Seat and helmet
A bicycle passenger must wear an approved bicycle helmet and sit on a proper seat when riding on a bicycle.
Therefore a bicycle rider could be committing an offence if they stand on the pedals to absorb road shock or stand up to climb a hill.