The crucial road rules Aussie drivers keep ignoring

In a perfect world, every learner driver should have to ride a motorbike, drive a small car, drive a big car and drive a truck before they can get their licence.

It’d make everyone more aware and empathetic to other road users, and allow folks to experience firsthand the difficulties associated with each broad vehicle category. 

But we don’t live in that world; we live in our own, which can be quite lovely at times, but driving in it, particularly in built-up areas and highways, can be somewhat of an eye-opener.

That’s why we thought we’d throw together a list of the unwritten road rules that they don’t tell you about on your L-plates or put in the how-to-drive handbook, but everybody should really know. 

Been on the highway or in a merging lane and the car ahead of you decides to stop or travel into the flow of fast traffic at a pace roughly equivalent to a drunken sloth? Yep, it’s frustrating.

The actual rule is to merge like a zipper. One car at a time between the cars travelling on the main road. It’s been shown to cause the least disruption to traffic flow, and if you adhere to the next point on this list, you should be welcomed in like an old friend. 

This is also a good time to remind you that merging should be done at the speed of the flowing traffic. That means if you’re merging into a 110km/h zone at 80km/h it’s pretty uncool.

While driving instructors do their best to teach learners the basic road rules, there are some laws that experts don't cover.

This one is not a road rule so much as a courtesy and should be way more strongly encouraged than it is. Basically, if someone lets you in or has to make an allowance for you, throw them a friendly wave.

It costs you nothing and goes a long way towards mitigating any road rage that may be coming your way next time you cut off that Hells Angel.

If you’re travelling slowly, say if you’re towing a caravan or big boat or just driving a tired old four-wheel-drive, and a truck overtakes you, it’s considered good driving to flash your lights at them when they’re clear and can move back over into the left lane.

When driving such a large vehicle, it’s very difficult for them to see in their mirrors when they’re fully past you, and they also don’t want to be out in the overtaking lane for longer than they need to be. Bonus points if they give you the right-left-right indicator flash as a thanks for making their job easier. 

Though it's not mandatory, flashing your headlights once a truck has safely passed you is considered good etiquette.

While we’re talking trucks, if you paid attention in high-school physics, you’ll remember old Isaac’s second law of force equalling mass times acceleration. The keyword there is mass.

Trucks have a lot more than your car does, which means they take a lot longer to slow down. Truck drivers must allow greater distances for stopping at traffic lights than cars, so imagine their consternation when your SUV pulls into their braking zone at a light, forcing them to hopefully pull up in time not to turn you into a compressed accordion. 

Keep this in mind when changing lanes and overtaking around trucks, for the sake of their safety and your own.

Daytime running lights are cool. Fog lights are not. Sorry, but they really aren’t. Unless, of course, it’s actually foggy, but when they’re on during non-foggy weather, their downward projection means they can be reflected off a wet road and directly into other drivers’ eyes.

Keep 'em off unless it gets misty outside, and everyone can remain friends. The police can and will bust you for having them on too.

Yep, it’s a road rule. Yep, it shouldn’t be on this list because these are the road laws you didn’t learn about, and you should have learned about this one.

But apparently, a lot of drivers don’t realise that it’s not a friendly suggestion, it’s an actual rule. If there's a sign saying as much, or the road you're driving on has a speed limit over 80km/h (although this can vary by state), keep to the left.

Arguably one of the most controversial road rules in the country, the 'keep left unless overtaking' law continues to confuse even the most experienced drivers.

You know, cars, trucks, motorbikes and probably all road-going vehicles have blind spots, right? You know that they tend to be trailing the vehicle diagonally out from its centre point, yeah?

We all know this, yet so many of us habitually drive in other vehicles’ blind spots. Motorbikes, the most at-risk vehicles, seem to do it out of spite for themselves. It’s wild. Please don’t drive in blind spots. 

This is more for folks who drive rurally, and if you do so regularly, you’re probably already well aware, but for those taking their first Outback road trip or maybe packing up for the big lap, there are things out away from the cities called road trains.

They’re like a B-double truck, but with many more trailers under tow. As you already know from reading this article, big trucks take a long time to slow down and stop, and road trains, well, even more so.

If you see one coming, it’s best to pull right off the road (they can flick windscreen-smasher rocks on a dirt road a looooong way) and let them pass.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world out here, you’re a chihuahua, and they’re a mastiff. Sorry.  Did we miss any unwritten rules? Chime in below in the comments. 

In the past 15 years as an automotive journo and 35-plus years of inveterate car-guy antics, Dex has worked across numerous titles and has even occupied the occasional editor’s chair when nobody was watching. He spends his downtime doing engine swaps (plural) on the nature strip out front and also once ripped a handbrake spin into a perfect car park. His parents remain indifferent.

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