Road rules and safety

Speed limits

You must follow the speed limit shown on signs, or travel at the default speed limit when driving or riding.

Speed limits in Victoria

Managing speed limits is key to bringing down the number of lives lost on our roads. Speed is the most critical risk factor in road crashes because it influences the likelihood of a crash happening, and how severe it is.

Safer speed limits are designed to reduce road trauma - providing drivers with more time to react in dangerous situations and reducing the distance it takes for a vehicle to come to a stop.

Not only that, but safe speeds also help to make our communities quieter, more walkable, and reduce vehicle emissions.

How speed limits are set

Having the right speed limit for the road helps to prevent crashes and make them less dangerous when they do happen.

The speed limit for each road is set by our team of experts who consider things like the road environment, crash risk and history, and how people use the road.

We also consider the Victorian Movement and Place Framework, which recognises that streets not only keep people and goods moving, they’re also places for people to live, work and enjoy.

Speed limits and zones are reviewed on a case-by-case basis in response to community feedback or changes to the road environment. The Department of Transport and Planning is responsible for reviewing all proposals to make sure it aligns with our speed zoning policy and speed zoning technical guidelines. Councils are responsible for assessing speed limits on local roads before a final review by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Safer speeds

Our roads are for everyone – drivers, riders, and pedestrians. When setting speed limits, we carefully balance keeping everyone safe on our roads with keeping people moving around their communities.

Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are considered vulnerable road users because they don’t have the physical protection that vehicles provide to drivers and passengers.

We know vulnerable road users are more likely to die or be seriously injured from a crash involving speeds above 30 km/h. For example, a pedestrian hit by a car travelling at 30km/h has a 90% chance of surviving. If they are hit at 40km/h, they have a 60% chance. At 50km/h this drops to a 10% chance of survival.

That’s why the speed limit is lower in areas where vehicles share the road with people walking, cycling or using public transport. This means busy places in our communities where people live, travel to get to work or school, and spend time visiting local cafes and shops.

Speed zones

The following table provides an overview of typical speed limits for different road environments.

Speed limit	Examples of where speed limit is applied
10 km/h	Streets where pedestrians have priority over vehicles along the road.
20 km/h	Car parks, recreational reserves and other similar areas where vehicles and pedestrians mix.
30 km/h	Areas where vehicles mix with people walking, cycling or using other forms of transport. This could include local streets with high pedestrian numbers, activity centres and some school zones.
40 km/h	Activity Centres, including shopping precincts, school zones, and local streets in built-up (urban and rural) areas. Busy areas when there is additional infrastructure in place to keep vulnerable road users safe, such as dedicated bike lanes and raised pedestrian crossings.
50 km/h	Urban roads with frequent direct access to properties, kerbside parking, cycling facilities or high levels or public transport use, such as trams. Local streets in built-up areas where streets are unsigned
60 km/h	High-movement undivided urban roads with separated walking and cycling facilities, such as bike lanes Divided arterial roads with frequent direct access, kerbside parking, on-road cycling facilities or a higher crash risk.
70 km/h	Divided urban arterial roads with frequent intersections or service road accesses Semi-regional urban areas where a higher speed limit would be unsafe for the road environment
80 km/h	High-movement roads, such as divided arterial roads with limited access points in urban areas Rural roads and highways with a high risk or history of crashes
100 km/h	High-movement roads, such as freeways, highways and rural roads, where there is no elevated risk of crashes. Rural roads where roads are unsigned
110 km/h	Freeways/motorways/tollways in non-built-up areas that are designed for high-speeds and have additional infrastructure and safety features

These are examples of the types of places you’ll find these speed limits. For a comprehensive list, and further information on the different speed zones and how they are applied to Victoria roads, refer to the Speed Zoning Policy.

Speed limit signs

Speed limits are set throughout Victoria to keep drivers and road users safe. You must drive to the conditions and travel at or below the speed shown on speed limit signs.

There are various types of speed limit signs, including time-based signs and variable electronic signs.

Where signs aren't displayed, a default speed limit is always in effect:

Area	Default speed limit
Built-up areas and neighbourhoods	50 km/h. This applies to all roads in suburban areas where there are no speed limit signs displayed.
Country roads	100 km/h. This applies to roads outside of build-up areas, where there are no speed limit signs displayed.

Areas undergoing roadworks

Temporary speed limits are usually set up around roadworks to keep workers safe.

If you're approaching a roadworks speed sign, you must:

slow down to the speed shown on the sign
travel at or below the speed limit until you pass a sign showing a different speed limit.

The temporary speed limit applies even if you can't see roadworks being carried out.

Learn more about roadworks and driving safely.

Emergency, law enforcement and incident response scenes

You are legally required to slow when passing emergency, incident response and roadside assistance vehicles that are stationary or moving slower than 10km/h and have flashing lights or an alarm sounding. You need to:

start to safely slow down to 40km/h (check your rear-view mirror first, especially on high-speed roads)
Pass the scene at 40km/h speed and be able to stop if directed
Return to the legal speed limit after you are a safe distance from the scene

Learn more about driving around law enforcement and emergency vehicles.

Rules for speed limits

The rules for speed limits and speed zones are published in Part 3 of the Road Safety Road Rules 2017.

Rule 20 - Obeying the speed-limit
Rule 21 - Speed-limit where a speed-limit sign applies
Rule 22 - Speed-limit in a speed-limited area
Rule 24 - Speed-limit in a shared zone
Rule 25 - Speed-limit elsewhere

You may be fined if you ignore the law

Victoria’s road safety camera program plays a critical role in changing driver behaviour and saving lives.

Everybody has a role to play in preventing death and serious injury on the road. As road users we all need to comply with the road rules. Drivers and riders can be fined and/or receive demerit points if caught travelling over the speed limit.

For excessive speeding, you may face harsher penalties like licence cancellation or suspension, and vehicle impoundment or immobilisation.

Visit Fines Victoria to learn more about penalties for speeding offences.