The rules outlined below are an overview, please refer to the rule references for more details.
After stopping at a Stop sign or line, or when facing a Give Way sign or line at an intersection, you must give way to any vehicle in, entering or approaching the intersection except:
- a vehicle making a U-turn
- a vehicle turning left using a slip lane
- an oncoming vehicle turning right if that vehicle is also facing a Stop or Give Way sign or line.
When turning at an intersection (not including a roundabout) you must give way to pedestrians crossing the road you are turning into and also pedestrians on a slip lane, when turning using a slip lane.
At intersections (except T-intersections or roundabouts) without traffic lights, signs or lines on the road
- you must give way to any vehicle on your right
- if you are turning right, you must also give way to oncoming vehicles going straight ahead or turning left (except if they are turning in a slip lane) as well as any vehicle on your right.
When you enter the continuing road from the road that ends, you must give way to vehicles travelling along the continuing road. Some T-intersections are modified so that the continuing road goes round a corner. The road that ends is marked by a continuity line and Give Way or Stop lines or signs.
When entering a roundabout, you must give way to any vehicle in the roundabout and any tram entering or approaching the roundabout. There is no requirement for vehicles to give way to pedestrians at roundabouts unless there are specific crossings provided.
When a two-way road is divided by a median strip, a Give Way or Stop sign applies to the whole of the intersection. When turning from a divided road, you must obey the signs on the road you are turning from. If there is no sign, you must give way to traffic when entering a road from a break in the median strip after turning.
When making a U-turn you must give way to all other vehicles and pedestrians.
Whenever you enter the road from a driveway or adjacent land (or when entering a driveway from the road), you must give way to all vehicles and pedestrians.
Whenever you enter the traffic stream from a parked position, or through a break in a median strip, you must give way to all vehicles travelling on the road.
Whenever you change lanes from one marked lane or line of traffic to another, you must give way to vehicles already in that lane or line of traffic. This includes crossing over any broken line marked on the road which indicates that a lane ends, for example when merging into freeway traffic.
If you are on a road without lines marked and two rows of vehicles merge into one, you must give way to any vehicle which has any part of its vehicle ahead of yours. Note: If you cross any lines marked on the road, then you are not zip merging but changing lanes and you must give way accordingly.
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.
Road Safety Road Rules 2009
- 38 Giving way when making a U-turn
- 67 Stopping and giving way at a stop sign or stop line at an intersection without traffic lights
- 69 Giving way at a give way sign or give way line at an intersection (except a roundabout)
- 71 Giving way at a give way sign or give way line at other places
- 72 Giving way at an intersection (except a T-intersection or roundabout)
- 73 Giving way at a T-intersection
- 74 Giving way when entering a road from a road related area or adjacent land
- 75 Giving way when entering a road related area or adjacent land from a road
- 114 Giving way when entering or driving in a roundabout
- 148 Giving way when moving from one lane or line of traffic to another marked lane or line of traffic
- 149 Giving way when lines of traffic merge into a single line of traffic
To look up these rules and check for other related rules, please refer to the Acts and Regulations administered by VicRoads.