Speed Limits
Speed limits are among the most heavily tested numeric rules. The three defaults — 60 / 100 / 120 km/h — apply only where no sign shows otherwise; a Speed Limit Sign can post a lower number. Heavy goods vehicles are capped well below the freeway limit (80 km/h above 9 000 kg). Speed governors are mandatory on buses, minibuses and goods vehicles registered after 1 December 2016. Closely tied to Following Distance and Overtaking.
Plain-language rule
The default speed limits are 60 km/h in an urban area, 100 km/h on a public road outside an urban area that is not a freeway, and 120 km/h on a freeway. A road sign may set a lower (or up to 120) limit that overrides the default.
Legal basis: National Road Traffic Regulations 2000, Reg 292 (general limits) & Reg 293 (class-specific); NRT Act s59
Exceptions
- A posted speed-limit sign overrides the general limit
- Goods vehicle >9 000 kg GVM capped at 80 km/h even on a freeway
- Goods vehicle 3 500–9 000 kg and buses/minibuses capped at 100 km/h
Question patterns
- Numeric recall (limits, distances, ages) where applicable.
- “What must you do in situation X?” — required response.
- Distractor trap: Believing the freeway limit is 100, that a heavy truck may do 120 on a freeway, or that 60 is a minimum (it is a maximum).
Penalty / consequence
Speeding fine on a sliding scale; exceeding by >30 km/h (urban) or >40 km/h (other) is a court summons, not an admission-of-guilt fine, and can mean a criminal record and licence suspension.
Ontology Speed Limits [part-of] Rules of the Road
Connections
- Rules of the Road — part_of_topic, source: 2026-06-28
- National Road Traffic Regulations 2000 — derived_from_source, source: 2026-06-28