What is the highest speed limit in Australia?

What is the fastest speed limit in Australia?

The fastest speed limit in Australia at the time of publication is 130km/h, which is only applicable on the long stretches of freeway in the North Territory. There is no national speed limit Australia applies across all states, but 110km/h on freeways, 40km/h in a school zone and 50km/h in any built up area is common across several states.

What is the purpose of speed limits?

In a word - safety. Governments, state and federal, implement speed limits to keep roads as safe as possible for all road users.

And by all ‘road users’ we mean not only motorists but also cyclists and pedestrians, which is why we have different speed limits in school zones and other built up areas, to ensure everyone can go about their lives in the safest possible conditions.

How have speed limits evolved over time in Australia?

If you’ve ever wondered why the speed limit is 110km/h on most freeways you can thank the metric system. When Australia switched from imperial to metric speed limits were changed in 1974 and were rounded to the nearest 10km/h increment. So, 60mph became 100km/h and the freeway limit of 70mph became 110km/h.

And in a bonus fact you can bore your friends with, at the same time we changed the limits we also changed the signs, dropping the USA-style black and white signs with ‘Speed limit’ across the top for the black text in red circle we’re familiar with today. 

What is the fastest speed limit in Australia and where is it located?

The Northern Territory was the last state to experiment with unrestricted stretches of road, with a 350km leg of the Stuart Highway free from any speed limits up until 2016. Since then the state has implemented a top speed of 130km/h across its major highways, as it allows for faster travel across the largely unoccupied landscape. 

Is there a national maximum speed limit? If not, how do the fastest speed limits differ from state to state in Australia?

There isn’t a maximum speed limit in Australia across all states, but it doesn’t vary dramatically. As mentioned earlier, the Northern Territory has areas with a 130km/h limit, while the Australian Capital Territory’s fastest posted limit is 100km/h. The rest of the states have a freeway limit of 110km/h.

How can you find out the speed limit where you are driving?

While there are different speed limits across the country, the speed limits signs are uniform across Australia. Inspired by the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals (held in 1968) white signs feature black numbers in a red circle. These are placed at the edge of the road in clear view.

In recent years electronic signs are used for roads with variable speed limits (which can change depending on the time of day), with a black background and white numbers inside a red circle.

Typically the speed limit signs are placed at the point of limits changing in built up areas (such as a school zone) and are generally placed after each entrance to a freeway. 

What happens if there is no speed limit sign?

If you discover you are on a road with no speed limit sign you must drive to the default speed limit for the conditions. For example, in built up areas the speed limit is 50km/h in every state except the Northern Territory, and 100km/h on ‘open’ roads, which is typically defined by the absence of street lights and buildings.

How does Australia compare to other countries?

Australia is one of the strictest countries in the world when it comes to speed limits, with them going largely unchanged since 1974, despite improvements to the road and vehicle safety and performance.

We also have some of the most rigid enforcement of speed limits with governments and police around the country pushing a strong ‘anti-speeding’ message with advertising and enforcement.

The highest speed limit in the world, at least the highest posted speed limit, is 160km/h (99mph) which is on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai motorway in the United Arab Emirates. However, famous Germany’s Autobahns have large sections without any speed limits, while the Isle of Man has no speed limits on any of its roads.

Where can you find out more information or get help with speed limits in Australia?

Check out your local road services authority or consult your local police to learn more about Australia’s speed limits.