Road Rules and Traffic Signs
Reading the road before you move
Road rules in the Northern Territory are built around a simple idea: every sign, line and signal tells you who has priority and what speed or position is expected. Learn the sign families rather than memorising individual pictures. Regulatory signs (red circles, or red-and-white) tell you what you must or must not do - STOP, GIVE WAY, speed limits, no entry, no U-turn. Warning signs (yellow diamonds) predict a hazard ahead such as a curve, crest, railway crossing or wildlife. Guide and information signs (green, blue, brown) direct you to places and services. Temporary signs (orange) override normal rules at roadworks and their posted speed applies even when no workers are visible.
Lines and markings
A solid centre line means do not cross; a broken line means you may cross when safe. Double lines: if the line nearest you is solid, you must not cross; if it is broken, you may cross when safe. Edge lines mark the road edge, and painted islands or chevron markings must not be driven over. Stop lines and give-way lines tell you exactly where to halt so you can see and be seen.
Traps in questions
The common traps are: treating a warning sign as a rule (a yellow sign does not set a speed limit); assuming a speed limit sign applies only in daylight; forgetting that a lower roadwork or school-zone limit applies at the posted times; and confusing a GIVE WAY sign (slow, be prepared to stop) with a STOP sign (stop fully at the line every time). Another trap is the default urban limit - if there is no sign, know the built-up area limit that applies in the NT and apply it rather than guessing.
Rule of thumb
Shape and colour first, words second: red circle = must/must not; yellow diamond = hazard ahead; orange = temporary and binding. If a sign is temporary or a school zone, obey the lower number for the whole zone until an end sign appears.