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Why driving tips?

Having a driver's licence, a registered car and all the "requirements" in place is one thing. I put together these tips for driving, in the hope that they will help visitors enjoy safe travels while in Tasmania.

I gathered these driving tips from a brochure sponsored by:

• Forests & Forest Industry Council of Tasmania
• Tourism Industry Council Tasmania
• RACT (Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania)

In addition to driving tips, I have included below some information on the official Tasmanian road rules as well.

Allow yourself more time

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you can figure out how long it will take to drive somewhere based on distance.

What about road conditions?

Roads can be quite steep, or narrow or winding in Tasmania. Depending on the weather, you might encounter heavy rain, or ice or even snow.

I once saw a car taking a sharp bend slowly but not slowly enough. It ended up going around the bend on the other side of the road. Very very fortunately there were no cars coming in the other direction at the time.

You may be a very good driver. You may have many years of driving experience. You may even be extremely familiar with the car (rental or otherwise) that you are driving. I would still urge you to allow more time to reach your destination. Please slow down...

The Tasmanian Travel Times map is great for getting a sense of distances and driving times between locations. You can download it from my Tasmania Maps page in the "Before You Download" section.

Travelling in a campervan or caravan?

Please do not travel in convoy. Instead, leave loads of space between vehicles. This will make it easier for other road users to see what's going on around them. It will make it easier for them to drive more safely.

Enough fuel?

Make sure you have enough fuel to get to your destination. In some parts of Tasmania you may find that petrol shops close earlier than you expect.

Watch out for wildlife

Drive more slowly in areas where wildlife might be around. This is not only to avoid injuring animals. It is also to avoid damaging your vehicle or causing injury to yourself or passengers.

What are the conditions?

It is critical to drive to conditions when on Tasmania's roads. This cannot be stated enough.

Driving to conditions is a must-do on roads anywhere of course, not just Tasmania's roads. Stop if you have to.

I remember one occassion when driving rain was so heavy that I had to pull over to the side of the road to wait it out along with other safety minded motorists.

Better safe than sorry...

Keep these driving tips in mind as we move on to the rules!

Tasmanian Road Rules

The Tasmanian Road Rules are available online.

Stay within speed limits

On the open road in Tasmania, the speed limit ranges from 100 to 110 kilometres per hour. In the suburbs, the speed limit is 50 kilometres per hour.

If you don't see a speed limit sign, then you should drive no faster than 50 kilometres per hour.

Fasten your seatbelts

Seatbelts must be worn at all times by driver and passengers. Approved child restraints are required for children (depending on their ages).

Driver's licence

Drivers must have their driver's licence with them. Overseas drivers must have the appropriate international driver's licence or English translation of their licence as required.