DKT- Built-up areas: 50 km/h unless a sign says otherwise.
- Freeways and outside built-up areas: 100 km/h unless signed otherwise.
- A speed limit sign shows the maximum speed in good conditions. You must always obey it.
- Some main streets in rural town centres are 50 km/h, and many rural railway level crossings are 80 km/h.
What counts as a built-up area?
A built-up area is a stretch of road with buildings or houses beside it, or where street lights are no more than 100 metres apart for 500 metres or more. Unless a sign tells you something different, the limit there is 50 km/h.
How limits are shown
- Speed limit signs beside the road. Limits are set to suit the type of road and how many vulnerable road users use it.
- Area speed limit signs: a sign on every road into a network of roads sets one reduced limit for the whole area.
- Temporary signs at road works: lanes are often reduced and the layout changed to protect workers, so everyone must slow down and obey the posted limit.
- Electronic variable signs show lower limits at high-risk times, for example at selected strip shopping centres, on freeways (see freeways) and in tunnels (see tunnels).
- School limits: see school zones and shared zones.
The limit is a ceiling, not a target
You have to choose a safe speed under the limit. Slow down for:
- heavy traffic (match the average speed and watch for hazards)
- shops, parked cars and pedestrians stepping out
- bright low sun at dawn or dusk, and rain, frost, snow, mist or fog
- curves (slow before the bend, then accelerate gently out of it)
- potholes, ruts, loose gravel, unsealed roads and wet roads
- animals on country roads
Why speed matters
If you double your speed you travel almost four times as far before you can stop. The handbook says that at 60 km/h you may cover up to 67 metres before you stop, and at 100 km/h up to 142 metres. A pedestrian hit at 40 km/h or more is unlikely to survive. Fines and demerit points apply to speeding.
Based on the Victorian Road to Solo Driving handbook and the VicRoads learner and probationary pages. Rules change from time to time, so check vicroads.vic.gov.au for the latest.
Quick answers
What is the default speed limit in Victoria?
It is 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h on freeways and outside built-up areas, unless a sign shows a different limit.
What is a built-up area in Victoria?
A road with buildings or houses beside it, or with street lights no more than 100 metres apart for at least 500 metres.
Is the speed limit sign the speed I should drive?
No. It is the maximum in good conditions. You must pick a safe speed at or below it that suits traffic, weather and the road.