

William Stopford
8.5
6 Days Ago
It may seem like a good idea and be a little bit of fun, but driving over a roundabout is illegal unless certain criteria is met.
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
You may have seen it done. You may have done it yourself. You know the situation – there’s a little pimple on the road that is pretending to be a ‘proper’ roundabout, so you drive over the top of it.
If you do that, you may be breaking the law. Not to make a mountain of out a molehill or anything, but roundabouts are designed for you to drive around, not over.
That’s the purpose of these traffic management islands, that the driver of a vehicle must enter from the left (in Australia, at least), and shouldn’t drive over the top of the manmade structure.
If you do, you could be fined. The model Australian Road Rules 2014, regulation 115, is the rule most referenced by the individual jurisdictions around the country. It states:
Driving in a roundabout:
(1) A driver driving in a roundabout must drive–
(2)
(3)
So, if you are driving a big vehicle and the roundabout allows you to pass over it, you can legally do that. But if you’re in a Jimny and you go around jumping the humps, then you could be fined.
In NSW, if you were to face court, the maximum fine would be 20 penalty units, or $2200. More likely, you’ll be fined $272 and lose four demerits.
Victoria enforces the same ruling, with a potential on-the-spot fine of $337, and three demerit points applicable.
In the Sunshine State, if you end up in court, you could face a $3096 fine. Ouch.
Over in WA you can receive two demerit points and a $100 fine “for all offences in regard to not correctly using a roundabout”.
South Australia’s interpretation of Road Rule 115 could land you a $499 fine if you’re found to do the wrong thing.
Tasmania has a two demerit point offence, with a $243.75 on the spot fine applicable.
In the ACT, otherwise known as the land of the roundabout, there’s a court-imposed maximum penalty of 20 units, or $3200, for failing to drive to the left of the roundabout.
We couldn’t find any applicable Northern Territory legislation specific to Road Rule 115 – but are there even roundabouts in the Top End? If you live there, let us know in the comments.
Not intended as legal advice. Check with the relevant roads authority in your state or territory.
Matt has more than a decade of experience in automotive journalism, and loves exploring the pros and cons of new cars, delving into deep-dive industry stories, and going for a drive just for the fun of it.
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