Road Rules

Collingwood and Fitzroy residents in Melbourne will be subjected to a 30km/h speed limit trial from 'late September', as Yarra Council seeks to make life easier for pedestrians and cyclists in residential areas. The new limits, which are a first in Australia, will be applied to the residential zone bordered by Alexandra Parade, Hoddle, Johnston and Nicholson streets. Smith Street and Brunswick Street – the busiest thoroughfares in the area – will maintain their 40km/h limits.

New South Wales motorists will need to abide new laws about minimum passing distance when overtaking cyclists, or face fines and the loss of demerit points. The new Minimum Passing Distance rule comes into force after a two-year trial, and mandates motorists leave a one-metre gap when overtaking cyclists below 60km/h and a 1.5-metre space over 60km/h.

A new study conducted by the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) has found that road users not only display irresponsible behaviour on the roads, but there are plenty who also allow it to happen. The research shows that 49 per cent of Australians do not ask speeding friends or family members to slow down, as they believe it isn't their place to caution another driver. Meanwhile, 46 per cent of people don't tell texting uber, taxi or personal drivers to put their phone away.

Welcome to the CarAdvice.com News Desk, a regular video wrap of the latest happenings in the automotive world and Australia's new-car market. Keeping you in the loop, Tegan Lawson presents a weekly video from the CarAdvice Garage,with everything you need to know about the week in news and reviews. What happened in the week ending January 27, 2017? Catch our video above, and links to the full stories below.