Responsible riding means riding with the safety and convenience of all road users in mind.
You, and any passengers you carry, must wear an approved safety helmet when riding a motorcycle.
You must not operate a vehicle in a condition or way that could cause:
You must not ride:
You must not ride your motorcycle, or allow your passenger to ride, in a way that may result in injury.
Learner and restricted licence holders can’t carry passengers. Once you have your full licence, you may carry one passenger behind you (also known as a pillion passenger) on your motorcycle. They must sit in a safe pillion seat, facing forwards, and must have both feet on footrests. They must also wear an approved safety helmet.
You must not use any vehicle lighting equipment in a way that will dazzle, confuse or distract other road users.
You must not ride a vehicle that:
Make sure your vehicle’s exhaust system and silencer are in good working order. This will prevent excessive gases and noise from the motorcycle.
Making the wheels of a motor vehicle lose traction and spin on the road surface may make unnecessary noise or smoke and could be a traffic offence.
Use the horn only as a reasonable traffic warning. It shouldn’t make an unnecessary or unreasonably loud, harsh or shrill noise.
Don’t play music so loudly that you can’t hear:
On steep, narrow roads, it’s easier for vehicles moving downhill to give way to vehicles moving uphill.
If you’re riding in a funeral procession, ride with your vehicle’s headlight on dip to let other drivers know you’re part of the procession.
Farmers often use country roads to move stock between paddocks.
If animals are on the road:
You’re responsible for removing the following things if they fall from your vehicle onto the road:
If it can be removed quickly and safely, you must immediately remove it or make sure it’s removed.
If it can’t be removed quickly and safely, and it can cause harm, you must warn the public or report it immediately to the police.
If you can’t remove it, warn the public, or report it, then the person removing the vehicle from the scene must do these things.
You must not carry a firearm on your motorcycle unless you hold a firearms licence. You must never carry a loaded firearm on your motorcycle. This also means you must not carry ammunition in the chamber or attached magazine of the gun.
While you’re riding, you can’t use a hand-held cellphone to create, send or read a text message, make or receive a phone call or access online services in any way. This includes when sitting in traffic, such as stopped at traffic lights.
You can, however, use your cellphone for calls while riding if the phone is secured in a mounting fixed to the vehicle and you use the phone rarely and briefly.
You can also use a cellphone while riding to make a 111 or *555 call if it’s unsafe or you’re unable to pull over and stop in a safe place at the side of the road to make the call.
Anything that takes your attention away from the road can be a potential hazard. When you’re riding, you should avoid or minimise:
