How to choose safe and legal speeds

Find out why you need to choose a speed that’s safe and legal for the conditions you’re driving in.

In this topic

What speeding is

Driving at safe speeds

Choosing a safe speed

How quickly you stop in dry and wet conditions

Speed facts

Video: Re-think speed

Strategies to help you choose a safe speed

Speed limit road rules

What speeding is

Speeding is when you drive:

Too fast for the conditions.
Over the speed limit.

Driving at safe speeds means you can:

See hazards.

Think about the situation.

Stop your vehicle.

Make safe driving decisions.

A small decrease in your speed can make a big difference to the outcome of a crash.

To choose a safe speed, some of the things you need to consider are:

The posted speed limit

How far ahead you can see

Other road users

Potential hazards

Road conditions

Weather conditions

Your driving experience

Inappropriate or excessive speed contributes to about 30% of fatal crashes.

Slow down to help stay safe

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Speed fact

When you speed you increase your risk of crashing.

Rethink Speed

The Rethink Speed campaign shows how the speed you choose can have very different consequences.

Strategies to help you choose a safe speed

Choose when and where to drive

Go on drives that match driving experience and choose a suitable time of day to practise.

Slow Down

Drive under the speed limit and slow down near other road users and potential hazards.

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Give yourself more space

Leave lots of room from other road users to create more time to slow down and make safe driving decisions.

Think ahead

Look well ahead, to the sides and use your mirrors to see what's around your vehicle.

Slow down at night

Keep your speed down at night so you have more time to look for and respond to potential hazards.

Be careful on country roads

Take and extra care when driving on country roads as they come in a variety of conditions you may not have a lot of experience driving on.

Consider others

Consider other road users needs and share the road safely.

Drive at a speed suitable for the conditions you’re in and slow down when you see hazards.

Speed limit road rules

All road rules are important and you should be familiar with them before you drive.

It’s a good idea to go over what you know about speed limit road rules.

When you speed you can be fined, get demerit points and even lose your licence.