Driving in Western Australia: the official safety guide, explained
Published 11 August 2026 · 8 min
The Road Safety Commission of Western Australia publishes an official Guide to Driving on WA Roads for people who are new to the state. It is available in 12 languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Japanese. Portuguese and Spanish are not on that list. New South Wales does offer its Road User Handbook in Spanish, but not in Portuguese either. So if Portuguese is your first language, no Australian state currently publishes an official driving safety guide for you. This post closes that gap for Western Australia, based directly on the official guide.
Which side of the road
In Australia, every vehicle drives on the left side of the road, and the driver sits on the right side of the car. If you learned to drive in a country that drives on the right, this is the single biggest habit to unlearn. The official guide suggests taping a note to your dashboard as a reminder in your first weeks, and to take extra care at intersections and when turning, since that is where old habits tend to slip back in. On a multi lane road with a speed limit of 90 km/h or more, stay in the left lane unless you are overtaking, the left lane is a bus or cycle lane, or you need to avoid an obstruction.
Alcohol, drugs and mobile phones: zero tolerance for learners
- Learner and provisional drivers must have zero blood alcohol content. There is no small amount that is allowed.
- Using a mobile phone while driving is not allowed for any driver, including holding it, texting or using it as a GPS unless it is fixed in a mount.
- Seatbelts are compulsory for the driver and every passenger, every trip, no matter how short.
Roundabouts, merging and giving way
Roundabouts are common in Western Australia and confuse a lot of newcomers. Always give way to traffic already on the roundabout, coming from your right. Use your indicator to signal your exit, not your entry. When two lanes merge into one, the general rule is to let one vehicle from each lane go alternately, sometimes called a zip merge, rather than one lane cutting in front of the other. U-turns are only allowed where there is a clear view of traffic in both directions and no sign prohibiting it.
Sharing the road
- Bicycle riders: leave at least one metre of space when passing at speeds up to 60 km/h, and 1.5 metres above that. You may cross a continuous centre line to overtake a cyclist safely.
- Pedestrians always have priority at marked crossings and when you are turning across a footpath.
- Emergency vehicles with lights or sirens on must be given way to. If it is safe, move to the left and slow down or stop.
Driving outside the city: what changes
Western Australia is bigger than the whole of Western Europe, and the distances between towns are usually longer than they look on a map. The official guide dedicates a full section to regional and remote driving, because the risks there are different from the city.
- Fatigue: plan rest stops on long drives, and swap drivers if you feel drowsy. Fatigue is treated as seriously as drink driving.
- Wildlife: kangaroos, cattle and emus can appear on the road with no warning, especially around dawn and dusk. Slow down in signed areas at those times.
- Road trains: these multi trailer trucks can be up to 53.5 metres long. Only overtake on a straight, clear stretch with plenty of visibility, and expect the overtake to take longer than you think.
- Gravel roads: reduce your speed, keep a firm but relaxed grip on the wheel, and avoid sudden braking or steering.
Where this information comes from
Everything above is adapted from the official Guide to Driving on WA Roads, published by the Road Safety Commission of Western Australia. It is not a substitute for the Drive Safe Handbook, which is the actual study material for the WA learner theory test. Use this post to understand real driving conditions, and use KangaLearner's Learn section and practice questions to prepare for the test itself.
Official source: Road Safety Commission of Western Australia, Guide to Driving on WA Roads