Hook Turn - Australian Usage Details

Australian Usage Details

The rules and procedures for making a hook turn appear in the Australian Road Rules, a uniform set of road rules adopted by all Australian states. Although hook turns are predominantly used in Melbourne, this means that any Australian state may choose to adopt the hook turn where appropriate.

When making a hook turn, cars must wait and check for hazards when the through-traffic light changes to amber. The "wait" rule has changed numerous times. Motorists used to be permitted to conduct the hook turn as soon as the signal changed to amber, and it was safe to turn. The current version of the Australian Road Rules (rule 34) demands that the motorist wait until "the traffic lights on the road that the driver is entering change to green". The City of Melbourne website - and other publications - contain obsolete information indicating that it is permissible to execute the turn on amber or red. The interpretation of the law is that, the queue of cars which has entered the intersection and stopped in the left lane has joined onto the front of the queue for the street into which they are turning. They now obey the rules of driving forward through an intersection, and as such turn only once the lights have gone green.

At intersections where the "Right Turn from Left Lane only" sign is present, motorists are not allowed to make a traditional right-turn. Motorists intending to turn right must instead follow the hook turn procedure described above. At intersections without the sign, hook turns are disallowed.