Queensland Road Rules

The Queensland Road Rules differ from the Australian Road Rules in these ways:

Passing emergency response vehicles

Emergency response workers put themselves in harm’s way to help us and deserve to work in a safe environment.

The Queensland Road Rules protects emergency workers. They consist of:

police
ambulance
fire and emergency
transport enforcement
tow trucks
breakdown assistance providers.

If you are passing a parked emergency response vehicle with flashing lights (blue, red, yellow, or magenta) you must:

On multi-lane roads – change lanes to leave a clear lane between your vehicle and the emergency response workers. If you can’t change lanes, for example due to congestion, move over as far as you can within your lane and slow down while passing.
On single-lane roads – move over within your lane as far as you can and slow down while passing.

Read more on rules for interacting with emergency vehicles.

Passing a bicycle rider or personal mobility device rider

All states and territories have rules for drivers to leave a safe space when passing bicycle riders. The Australian Road Rules don't cover this. In Queensland these rules also protect personal mobility device riders, such as e-scooters.

To keep in line with other states and territories, the Queensland Road Rules require:

On roads with a speed limit of 60km/h or less – drivers must leave at least 1m when passing.
On roads with a speed limit over 60km/h – drivers must leave at least 1.5m when passing.

Drivers may cross the centre of the road, including double lines, to pass a bicycle or personal mobility device, if safe to do so.

Giving way when making a U-turn

A driver making a U-turn must always give way to all other road users. This includes all vehicles, bicycles, personal mobility devices and pedestrians.

The Queensland Road Rules differ from the Australian Road Rules. A driver making a U-turn must give way to a driver entering the road from a road-related area, such as a driveway or carpark.

This ensures U-turn rules apply in all cases. Only the driver making the U-turn knows their intentions. So, they must ensure it is safe to proceed before turning.

Special purpose lanes

Taxis and bicycles are permitted to drive in bus and tram lanes.

Motorcycles

Both the Australian Road Rules and the Queensland Road Rules allows motorcycle riders to lane filter between two lanes of stopped or slow-moving traffic. The 2 lines or lanes of traffic must both be travelling in the same direction. The rider must hold an open motorcycle licence, they can’t ride faster than 30km/h.

The Queensland Road Rules differ from the Australian Road Rules. They allow motorcycle riders to edge filter in some cases. Edge filtering is riding on a sealed road shoulder, or emergency lane, past stationary or slow-moving traffic on major roads, like highways and freeways, with a 90 km/h speed limit.

Personal mobility devices

In Queensland, personal mobility devices such as e-scooters are considered vehicles under the road rules. Riders must obey the road rules.

Personal mobility device riders:

must wear an approved bicycle or motorbike helmet
must have a warning device (such as a bell) for devices with handlebars
children aged 12 to 15 must ride with adult supervision
riders must not drink and ride.

In Queensland, personal mobility device riders can ride on:

footpaths, shared paths, separated paths and bike paths at 12 km/h (unless otherwise signed)
local streets at 25km/h (speed limit of 50km/h or less, no dividing line or median strip, or one-way streets with only 1 marked lane)
bike lanes on roads with a speed limit of 50km/h or less at 25 km/h
bike lanes that are physically separated from traffic, like by bollards or raised median strip, at 25km/h.

In some cases personal mobility device riders can ride on the road to:

avoid an obstruction on a path or bike lane for up to 50m
ride in bike lanes that are physically separated from traffic, for example by bollards or raised median strip
access a bicycle storage box at an intersection
move out of the way of an emergency vehicle
travel through an intersection between a road, bike lane or path that they are permitted to be in.

Quad bikes and utility off-road vehicles

Quad bike passengers must be at least 8 years old. When seated, their feet must reach the footrests provided for use by a pillion passenger.

Seated passengers on an off-road utility vehicle must:

place their feet flat on the floor
hold the vehicle’s handrail, if there is one.

Animals

A person must not ride or lead an animal on a road if it is practicable to ride or lead the animal on a road-related area such as a footpath or nature strip.

A driver who knows of a restive horse must pull to the far-left side of the road and stop the engine. The driver must not move or turn on their vehicle until they are sure the vehicle won't aggravate the horse.

Read more on sharing the road with animals.

Last updated:: 27 February 2023

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