Road rules and safety

Drivers sharing the road with pedestrians

Drivers and riders must follow the road rules when interacting with pedestrians, including stopping and giving way. 

Give way to pedestrians

Drivers and riders must follow certain road rules when interacting with pedestrians, for example:

  • You must give way to anyone on or about to step onto a pedestrian crossing.
  • You must not overtake another vehicle that has stopped at a pedestrian crossing.  
  • You must give way to any pedestrian at or near the stop sign or line. This includes pedestrians as well as bicycle riders crossing in front of you.
  • You must also give way to pedestrians in other situations such as at intersections, in shared zones, on footpaths, and at tram stops.

View more on sharing the road with pedestrians with vision impairment.  

Pedestrian crossings

When approaching a pedestrian crossing, you must:

  • slow down and drive at a speed that allows you to stop safely
  • give way to any pedestrian on or near the crossing
  • never overtake another vehicle stopped at the crossing.

Always keep crossings clear. Don’t drive into a pedestrian crossing unless there’s room on the other side.

Children’s crossings

Children’s crossings are operational when flags are displayed. Some children’s crossings have a crossing supervisor.

When approaching a children’s crossing, you must:  

  • drive at a speed that allows you to stop safely
  • always follow the instructions of the crossing supervisor
  • stop if a pedestrian is on or near the crossing, even if there is no crossing supervisor
  • wait until all pedestrians have left the crossing
  • stop when a handheld stop sign is displayed at the crossing.

Intersections and turning

You must give way to any pedestrians crossing the road you are entering, except at roundabouts without a pedestrian crossing. When making a right turn, watch for any oncoming traffic (including bike riders) as well as pedestrians crossing the road you are about to enter.

If you’re at an intersection without traffic lights, you can enter the pedestrian crossing to get a better view of traffic after you’ve given way to pedestrians. 

At roundabouts

At roundabouts be aware of pedestrians needing to cross, slow down and give them the space and time they need.  You must give way to pedestrians at roundabouts if there is a pedestrian crossing present.

At pedestrian lights

Some traffic signals have a 'When flashing give way to pedestrians' sign in addition to the pedestrian lights.

If you’re at a crossing with one of these signs and the yellow lights are flashing, you can start driving after you have given way to all pedestrians on the crossing.

Some locations only have a red and yellow light. In these locations, you can proceed with caution when the yellow light is flashing, but you must give way to any pedestrians.

These lights are turned off when they’re not in operation. 

In slip lanes

You must give way to any pedestrian in a slip lane, whether there is a pedestrian crossing or not. 

Making a U-turn

You must give way to all pedestrians and vehicles when making a U-turn. 

On footpaths and driveways

You must give way to any pedestrians and bicycles on the footpath, path or nature strip when going in or out of a driveway or private property.

In shared zones

A shared zone is an area shared by both vehicles and pedestrians. You must give way to pedestrians in a shared zone.

At tram stops

You must stop behind the tram when passengers are getting on or off at roadside stops. Wait until all doors are closed and all pedestrians have finished crossing.

Read the road rules around giving way to pedestrians at tram stops.

Pedestrians who are visually impaired

People who are vision impaired have less information when making decisions about where and when to cross the road.  

When driving or riding, it’s important to recognise people using canes or guide dogs may take longer to cross the road. Be patient and remember they may also not make eye contact or respond to visual gestures.

View more on sharing the road with pedestrians with vision impairment.

Helpful information

Victorian legislation

The following rules are published in Part 7 of the Road Safety Road Rules 2017.

  • Rule 38 - Giving way when making a U-turn  
  • Division 1 - Giving way applying to the driver (Rule 67, 69 and 71)
  • Division 3 - Entering or leaving road related areas (Rule 74-75)
  • Division 5 - Crossings and shared zones (Rule 80-83)
  • Rule 128A - Entering blocked crossing  

You may be fined if you ignore the law

Drivers can be penalised if you break these rules or cause a hazard to pedestrians.