Road workers

Slowing down for road workers

We all deserve to get home safely, so when you see road workers, slow down, give them a wave and only speed up after you have passed through the works and signage indicates it's safe to speed up.

Drive to the posted speed limit

It is law to slow down to within the posted speed limit when passing other roadside workers. Road work speed limits are designed to keep both drivers and road workers safe.

Reduced speed limits are in place around road works and while there are people working along the road side. You may see temporary speed signs showing lower speed limits when approaching roadworks or other works that are being undertaken. You need to slow to the temporary limit for all works including those being undertaken by council workers or when people are conducting repairs to infrastructure and powerlines.

When you are approaching any works you need to take note of the posted speed limit and slow down safely. You need to continue driving within the reduced speed limit until you pass a sign showing a different speed limit.

Even when nobody is working on the road there can still be dangers from the work underway.

These dangers can include:

Narrow lane widths
Barriers very close to traffic lanes
Deep trenches
Loose gravel on the road
Soft road surfaces, or
Humps and drops in the road

Some dangers are easy to spot during the day, but much harder to see at night. A lower posted speed limit gives you more time to see the danger and avoid a crash.

Slow to 40 when approaching law enforcement, emergency and incident response vehicles

On July 1, 2025 Road Rule 79A, known as the 40km/hr flashing lights rule, was expanded to include more vehicles like accident towing, breakdown towing, roadside assistance and all incident response services.

You are legally required to slow down to 40km/h when passing emergency, incident response and roadside assistance vehicles that are stationary or moving slower than 10km/h and have flashing lights or an alarm sounding.

When you see flashing lights (red, blue, magenta or yellow) and the vehicle is stopped or moving slower than 10km/h you must:

start to safely slow down to 40km/h (check your rear-view mirror first, especially on high-speed roads)
Pass the scene at 40km/h speed and be able to stop if directed
Return to the legal speed limit after you are a safe distance from the scene

When the rule applies

You must slow down:

for all law enforcement, emergency vehicles and incident response vehicles with red, blue or magenta (purple) lights as well as for vehicles with amber (yellow) lights. These include:
- emergency vehicles (including ambulance, fire services, state emergency services)
- enforcement vehicles (including Victoria Police)
- accident towing
- breakdown towing
- roadside assistance
- incident response services
- escort vehicles
on all roads, including freeways. You must slow down even if the law enforcement, emergency or special purpose vehicle is in the service lane or on a dividing strip.
in both directions on roads that are divided by single or double white lines.

You don’t need to slow down if you’re travelling on the opposite side of a road separated by a median strip, e.g. an area that’s covered in grass or includes a wire rope, concrete barrier or painted island.

The rule establishes a required standard for safe behaviour and further ensures emergency workers can get on with their important work without worrying about being struck by a passing vehicle or debris.

More information about the road rule can be found on the Transport Victoria website .

Keeping clear of law enforcement and emergency vehicles

If a police, emergency, enforcement or escort vehicle has its red, blue or magenta lights flashing or its siren on, you must:

Move out of its way
Give way and stop if necessary, even if you have a green traffic light.

You must also stop if twin red lights are flashing on a road, e.g. outside a fire or ambulance station. You can start driving again once the lights have stopped flashing and the road is clear of emergency or other vehicles.

In emergencies, law enforcement and other emergency vehicles are not required to follow the road rules.

Accidents and emergencies can happen anywhere

No matter what type of road you're on it's important to expect the unexpected. In an emergency situation it's not always possible for first responders to stop in a location that has good visibility. You should always drive to the conditions and if you see an emergency or enforcement vehicle then you need to slow down as quickly and as safely as possible.

Give space to emergency workers and reduce your speed even if you are on a road with multiple lanes. When you slow down you help to ensure that everyone can get home safely.

Emergency services workers and enforcement workers are doing their jobs to help protect all of us.


Road workers Slowing down for road workers We all deserve to get home safely, so when you see road workers, slow down, give them a wave and only speed up after you have passed through the works and signage indicates it's safe to speed up. Drive to the posted speed limit It is law to slow down to within the posted speed limit when passing other roadside workers. Road work speed limits are designed to keep both drivers and road workers safe. Reduced speed limits are in place around road works and while there are people working along the road side. You may see temporary speed signs showing lower speed limits when approaching roadworks or other works that are being undertaken. You need to slow to the temporary limit for all works including those being undertaken by council workers or when people are conducting repairs to infrastructure and powerlines. When you are approaching any works you need to take note of the posted speed limit and slow down safely. You need to continue driving within the reduced speed limit until you pass a sign showing a different speed limit. Even when nobody is working on the road there can still be dangers from the work underway. These dangers can include: Narrow lane widths Barriers very close to traffic lanes Deep trenches Loose gravel on the road Soft road surfaces, or Humps and drops in the road Some dangers are easy to spot during the day, but much harder to see at night. A lower posted speed limit gives you more time to see the danger and avoid a crash. Slow to 40 when approaching law enforcement, emergency and incident response vehicles On July 1, 2025 Road Rule 79A, known as the 40km/hr flashing lights rule, was expanded to include more vehicles like accident towing, breakdown towing, roadside assistance and all incident response services. You are legally required to slow down to 40km/h when passing emergency, incident response and roadside assistance vehicles that are stationary or moving slower than 10km/h and have flashing lights or an alarm sounding. When you see flashing lights (red, blue, magenta or yellow) and the vehicle is stopped or moving slower than 10km/h you must: start to safely slow down to 40km/h (check your rear-view mirror first, especially on high-speed roads) Pass the scene at 40km/h speed and be able to stop if directed Return to the legal speed limit after you are a safe distance from the scene When the rule applies You must slow down: for all law enforcement, emergency vehicles and incident response vehicles with red, blue or magenta (purple) lights as well as for vehicles with amber (yellow) lights. These include: emergency vehicles (including ambulance, fire services, state emergency services) enforcement vehicles (including Victoria Police) accident towing breakdown towing roadside assistance incident response services escort vehicles on all roads, including freeways. You must slow down even if the law enforcement, emergency or special purpose vehicle is in the service lane or on a dividing strip. in both directions on roads that are divided by single or double white lines. You don’t need to slow down if you’re travelling on the opposite side of a road separated by a median strip, e.g. an area that’s covered in grass or includes a wire rope, concrete barrier or painted island. The rule establishes a required standard for safe behaviour and further ensures emergency workers can get on with their important work without worrying about being struck by a passing vehicle or debris. More information about the road rule can be found on the Transport Victoria website . Keeping clear of law enforcement and emergency vehicles If a police, emergency, enforcement or escort vehicle has its red, blue or magenta lights flashing or its siren on, you must: Move out of its way Give way and stop if necessary, even if you have a green traffic light. You must also stop if twin red lights are flashing on a road, e.g. outside a fire or ambulance station. You can start driving again once the lights have stopped flashing and the road is clear of emergency or other vehicles. In emergencies, law enforcement and other emergency vehicles are not required to follow the road rules. Accidents and emergencies can happen anywhere No matter what type of road you're on it's important to expect the unexpected. In an emergency situation it's not always possible for first responders to stop in a location that has good visibility. You should always drive to the conditions and if you see an emergency or enforcement vehicle then you need to slow down as quickly and as safely as possible. Give space to emergency workers and reduce your speed even if you are on a road with multiple lanes. When you slow down you help to ensure that everyone can get home safely. Emergency services workers and enforcement workers are doing their jobs to help protect all of us.