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This page contains answers to the most common questions young people ask us about road rules. It is not a full list of road rules!
Yes.
It’s against the law to drive a car without a seatbelt.
If you’re caught driving without a seatbelt, you will be fined $550 and lose at least 4 demerit points. This could mean you lose your P licence in one go! The fine can go up to $900 depending on how many of your passengers are also not wearing a seatbelt.
As a driver, it’s also your responsibility to make sure all your passengers are wearing a seatbelt. Even though you’re wearing a seatbelt, you can still be punished if your passengers are not. If this happens, you will lose 4 demerit points and could be fined up to $800 depending on how many of your passengers are not wearing seatbelts.
It’s also against the law to ride in a car as a passenger without a seatbelt. If you’re caught doing this and you’re over 16, you could also be fined $550.
Do I have to wear a helmet?
Yes, it’s against the law if you don’t wear a helmet when riding or travelling with someone else on a bike . If you’re caught, you (and your passenger) could both be fined $50.
However, you don’t have to wear a helmet if you wear a headdress as part of religious or cultural custom and you can’t wear the helmet over the headdress.
Can I ride on the footpath?
Yes, you can generally ride on a footpath. But you can’t ride on the pedestrian part of a separated footpath (these are paths where there are signs or markings that show different parts for bikes and people). You also cannot ride on a footpath if your Local Council has made a rule that you cannot ride there e.g. if they put a sign up near a restaurant saying that bikes cannot be ridden on the footpath there. If you are riding on a footpath, you cannot ride next to another cyclist (only in in front of or behind) and you must keep left unless its impractical to do so.You also can’t ride your bike across a children’s crossing, a marked foot crossing or pedestrian crossing. Remember that pedestrians ALWAYS have right of way on footpaths.
For more information on staying safe when riding a bike in Western Australia, check out this website.
Do I have to wear a helmet?
Yes, it’s against the law if you don’t wear a helmet. The rule is the same for both drivers and riders on a motorbike. If you’re caught, you could be fined $550 and could lose 4 demerit points off your licence.
Can I do lane filtering?
While there’s no specific law saying you can’t filter through other cars, there are laws which make it illegal to continually cross a lane line, drive on the lane line, and not indicate before changing lanes. This means could be breaking other laws if you do lane filtering or lane splitting.
There are also special rules about riding a motorcycle if you’re an L or P plater. Please check out our Licences page for more information about these rules.
For more information on staying safe on a motorbike, check out these guides from the Western Australian government:
Do I have to wear a helmet?
Yes, it’s against the law if you don’t wear a helmet while riding a scooter.
There are also special rules about riding a scooter if you’re an L or P plater. Please check out our Licences page for more information about these rules.
For more information on staying safe on a scooter, check out these guides from the Western Australian government:
Do I have to wear a helmet?
No, you don’t have to wear a helmet while on a skateboard, rollerblade or roller-skate, but it’s still a good idea.
There are also some other laws about riding skateboards, rollerblades and roller skates:
Generally, no. You can only use your phone while driving if:
The law says you are driving a car unless you’re parked (so if you’re stopped at a traffic light, you still can’t use your phone).
If you aren’t following these rules, you could be fined $400 and you could lose up to 6 demerit points.
When you’re driving a car or motorbike, your number plates must always be visible. If they’re not, you could be fined up to $200.
Speeding is always against the law. If you’re caught speeding, you could lose your licence on the spot, depending on how fast you were going.
If you’re on your P or L licence, there are special speeding laws that apply to you. Please check out our Licences page for more information.
If you’re under 25 and you have a question about road rules that we haven’t answered here, please ask us a question here and we can give you some free information and advice.
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