Rules in detail: driver duties, motorcycles and cell phones

Control, view and obeying signs

What the rule says. You may not disobey any road traffic sign or rule of the road unless a traffic officer orders you to. You may not make the vehicle travel backwards unless it can be done in safety. You may not permit any person, animal or object to be in a position that prevents you from having complete control of the vehicle, and you may not let anyone take hold of or interfere with the steering or operating mechanism. Your own position must give you complete control and a full view of the roadway and the traffic ahead.

Why it matters. Control and a clear view are the basis of safe driving.

In practice. If a child or a bag is in your way, move it before you drive off. If a passenger grabs the steering wheel, stop them.

Key idea: Keep complete control and a full view, and let no one interfere with the steering.

Parked cars, sirens, fumes and litter

What the rule says. You may not leave a vehicle unattended on a road without setting its brake or using another method that effectively stops it from moving. You may drive away from a parked or stationary position at the side of the road only if you can do so safely and without interfering with moving traffic from any direction. You must give immediate and absolute right of way to a vehicle sounding a device or bell. No part of your body may protrude from a moving vehicle except to give a hand signal. No person or animal may be on the roof, a step or a running board of a moving vehicle.

Why it matters. Each rule prevents runaway vehicles or people falling from them.

In practice. When an ambulance siren sounds behind you, make way at once.

Key idea: Secure parked vehicles, give way to sirens and keep people and animals off the roof and steps.

Engine, fuel, refuse and sidewalks

What the rule says. You may not allow the engine to run so that it gives off smoke or fumes that it would not give off if it were in good condition. You may not let the engine run while the vehicle is stationary and unattended, or while petrol or another flammable fuel is being delivered into the fuel tank. You may not negligently or wilfully deposit petrol, other fuel, oil, grease, other flammable or offensive matter, ashes or other refuse on or alongside the road. You may not drive, pull or push a vehicle upon a sidewalk.

Why it matters. Running engines near fuel are a fire hazard, and waste on the road is dangerous to others.

In practice. At a filling station, switch the engine off before fuel is delivered, and do not leave a vehicle running while you go inside.

Key idea: Engine off while unattended or being refuelled, and no litter, oil or vehicles on the sidewalk.

Motorcycle riders and passengers

What the rule says. A rider must sit astride the saddle with feet on the front foot rests and at least one hand on the handlebars at all times. A passenger must be briefed by the rider and sit astride on a securely fastened seat with feet on securely fastened foot rests. Not more than two persons may ride on the motorcycle, excluding a person in a sidecar, and not more than two adults may be carried in a sidecar. The rider may not carry a person or animal in front, and may carry only a non-bulky object in front if it is secured or in a suitable carrier and does not block view or control. All wheels must stay in contact with the road at all times.

Why it matters. These rules keep the rider in control.

In practice. Brief your pillion passenger before you set off.

Key idea: Sit astride, keep a hand on the handlebars, brief your passenger and keep both wheels on the road.

Riding in lanes, holding on and overtaking

What the rule says. A rider or passenger may not take hold of any other vehicle in motion. All motorcycle riders must ride in single file in the same lane, except while overtaking another motorcycle in that lane. Two or more people riding motorcycles may not overtake another vehicle at the same time. Where a public road is divided into traffic lanes, each lane is regarded as a public road for this rule. Like every driver, a rider may not disobey a road traffic sign or rule of the road unless a traffic officer orders it.

Why it matters. Riding side by side or clinging to a vehicle removes the space and control a rider needs.

In practice. Two riders behind a truck should overtake one after the other, not together, and each lane on a multi-lane road counts separately.

Key idea: Ride in single file, never hold another moving vehicle, and do not overtake together.

Sidecars

What the rule says. A motorcycle with a sidecar may not be used on a public road unless the sidecar is attached to the left side of the motorcycle. The manual also states that no sidecar may be attached to a motorcycle with an engine of less than 50 cubic centimetres. As the previous section on motorcycles says, no more than two adult persons may be carried in a sidecar.

Why it matters. A fixed side for the sidecar makes its handling and position predictable to other road users.

In practice. If a sidecar has been fitted on the right-hand side of a motorcycle, the combination may not be used on a public road until it is attached on the left.

Key idea: A sidecar goes on the left side, and never on an engine under 50 cubic centimetres.

Cell phones and damaging the road

What the rule says. No person may drive or ride a vehicle on a public road while holding a cellular or mobile telephone, or any other communication device, in one or both hands or with any other part of the body, such as between shoulder and ear. You may not cause a wheel to drag or spin on the roadway surface except in an emergency. You may not place chocks or shoes between a wheel of a moving vehicle and the road. You may not use or move any vehicle or thing on a roadway in a way that damages it.

Why it matters. Holding a phone takes your hands and attention from driving, and spinning wheels damage the surface.

In practice. Do not do a wheelspin start to show off; it is allowed only in an emergency.

Key idea: Never hold a phone while driving or riding, and do not spin or drag wheels except in an emergency.

Quick recap

• Never disobey a road traffic sign unless a traffic officer orders you to
• No part of the body may stick out of a moving vehicle except to give a hand signal
• A motorcycle may carry not more than two persons, excluding a person in a sidecar, and a sidecar not more than two adults
• A rider must keep at least one hand on the handlebars and all wheels on the road
• A sidecar must be attached to the left side of the motorcycle
• Holding a cell phone in one or both hands, or with any part of the body, is not allowed