How well do you know speed limits?
Speed limits help keep everyone on the road safe, but what happens if you can’t see a speed limit sign nearby?
No sign doesn’t mean there’s no speed limit. In these situations, South Australia has default speed limits in place that all drivers should know.
Watch the video to test your knowledge in our ‘unless otherwise signposted’ speed limit quiz.
Do speed limits really make a difference?
Speed limits aren’t numbers pulled out of thin air. They’re set using a careful assessment of real-world conditions like visibility, road surface quality, surrounding development, and the way people use the area. If a location has a history of near misses or crashes, that’s a strong signal that the limit needs to be lowered to improve road safety.
Dropping your speed from 60 km/h to 50 km/h can cut your stopping distance by up to 10 metres, which is about the length of a bus. That extra space can be the difference between a close call and a serious crash.
If you’re worried about taking significantly longer to get where you’re going, don’t be. Slowing down from 60 to 50 km/h adds only about 12 seconds per kilometre – roughly the time it takes to tie a shoelace or roll down your car window.