Test yourself
What the Keep Left sign looks like and what it means
The sign at a glance
| Category | Regulatory |
| Shape | Circle |
| Colours | Blue with a white arrow |
| Standard | AS 1742 (Australian Standard for traffic signs) |
| Appears in | All states and territories |
There are two common forms in Australia, and both mean the same thing: a white rectangle reading KEEP LEFT in black, or a round sign with a bold arrow angled down and to the left (black on white, or white on a blue disc). Either way, traffic must pass to the left-hand side of the sign.
Both are regulatory signs — the "must do" family — not yellow warning diamonds that merely flag a hazard ahead. That matters on your test: an examiner treats passing on the wrong side of a Keep Left sign the way they treat crossing a solid line — a rule broken, not a rough edge to tidy up. The sign sits low at the pointed "nose" of a raised island or median, facing you square-on, telling you the road is about to split and that your side of the split is the left. Read it, ease left, hold your lane, continue past.
The three ’keep left’ things, untangled — a worked example each
This is where learners tie themselves in knots, so here is the clean three-way split. Get this right and you have the whole topic.
(a) The Keep Left SIGN (blue disc arrow, or black-on-white KEEP LEFT). Meaning: pass to the left of THIS specific island, median or obstruction — mandatory at this one spot. Worked example: you reach a T-intersection where a raised splitter island sits in the mouth of the side road, a Keep Left arrow on its nose; you hold your lane, ease gently left, and let the island pass on your right. The test mistake it causes: passing to the RIGHT of the island — on a two-way road that drops you into the oncoming lane, an immediate, dangerous fault.
(b) The general keep-left ROAD RULE (Australian Road Rules rule 129). Meaning: as a habit, drive as near as practicable to the far left. Worked example: a quiet rural road with no centre line; you keep well left so oncoming cars have clear room. The test mistake it causes: drifting toward the crown or middle of an unmarked road, marked as poor road position and failing to keep left.
(c) The Keep Left Unless Overtaking(/road-signs/keep-left-unless-overtaking) LANE sign (Australian Road Rules rule 130). Meaning: on a multi-lane road over 80 km/h, stay in the left lane except to overtake, turn right, make a U-turn, or pass a continuous flow. Worked example: on a 100 km/h dual carriageway you sit in the left lane and only move right to overtake, then move back. The test mistake it causes: sitting in the right lane with nothing to overtake — lane-hogging, and a breach of rule 130.
Quick sort: an arrow or KEEP LEFT on an island is (a); which lane to sit in on a highway is (c); a country road with no lines is (b). That lane rule is also why a no-overtaking(/road-signs/no-overtaking-sign) sign further along can change what you are allowed to do.
What to do when you see one — step by step
Spot it early — the signs sit low at the tip of an island, so scan well ahead at intersections, roundabouts and pedestrian refuges; the earlier you see it, the smoother your line.
Stay in your lane and ease left. Usually you are already on the correct side, so keep your normal position and let the island pass on your right. You do not normally indicate — it is not a lane change or a turn.
Do not swing wide or brake hard. Over-steering or stabbing the brake unsettles the car and worries an examiner; hold a steady speed and a smooth line, looking through to where you want to go.
Check for pedestrians. Many Keep Left islands are refuges — the same island you meet at a pedestrian crossing(/road-signs/pedestrian-crossing-sign) — so cover the brake and be ready to give way.
At a roundabout, the central Keep Left arrow just confirms you go around the island, never across it: enter when safe, keep the island on your right, follow it around and exit, exactly as on the roundabout(/road-signs/roundabout-sign) page.
Why the sign exists — the reason behind it
The sign almost always marks a physical divider that separates traffic streams or shields something you must not drive over. On a two-way road, a median keeps oncoming cars on their side and funnels you onto yours — pass to its right and you drive into oncoming traffic, the exact head-on the island prevents. On a one-way(/road-signs/one-way-sign) or divided road you may instead see the mirror-image Keep Right sign for the other carriageway; each stream gets the arrow that keeps it on its own side.
You will also meet Keep Left arrows around a roundabout’s central island, a pedestrian refuge, a bridge pylon or roadworks — same message every time: an obstruction is ahead, and the safe, legal path runs around its left. Reading the sign as "an island is coming, and my side is the left" turns a moment of panic into something simple and predictable.
Where you’ll see it
On the pointed nose of median strips and splitter islands at intersections; on pedestrian refuge islands in the middle of wide roads; at the central island of roundabouts; and around fixed obstructions such as bridge pylons, large sign structures and roadworks. You meet them most often in built-up areas and anywhere the road divides to keep opposing traffic apart. Browse the full set on the road signs hub(/road-signs).
Common mistakes learners make
- Passing to the RIGHT of a Keep Left sign — the single biggest fault; on a two-way road it steers you into oncoming traffic and is treated as a serious, often immediate, test failure.
- Confusing the island Keep Left sign (a) with the general keep-left road rule (b) or the ’Keep Left Unless Overtaking’ lane rule (c) in the DKT theory test, and answering the wrong one.
- Braking sharply or swerving left when the island appears, instead of holding a smooth line at a steady speed.
- Indicating left as though it were a turn — you normally do not signal to pass an island, and a needless signal can confuse drivers behind you.
- Missing pedestrians waiting on a refuge island and failing to slow down or give way.
- Cutting across the central island of a roundabout rather than keeping left of it and following it around.
Last verified 4 September 2026 against the Australian Road Rules and your state road authority. Rules, fees and figures change. Always confirm current details with your state road authority before you rely on them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What does a Keep Left sign actually tell me to do?
- It tells you to pass to the left of the thing it sits on, usually the nose of a traffic island, median or splitter island. You hold your lane, ease gently left, and let the island pass on your right. It is a regulatory sign, so driving to the right of it is a serious fault, because on a two-way road it puts you straight into oncoming traffic.
- Do I need to indicate when I pass a Keep Left island?
- Generally no. You stay in your own lane to pass an island, so it is neither a lane change nor a turn and no signal is required, and a needless indicator can confuse drivers behind you. Only signal if the layout forces a genuine lane change or you are turning at that spot, and then you are signalling that movement, not the island.
- How is the Keep Left sign different from the ’keep left unless overtaking’ rule?
- They are two of the three separate ’keep left’ things learners mix up. The Keep Left sign means pass to the left of this specific island or median at that one spot. The general keep-left road rule is the habit of driving as near as practicable to the far left, and the ’Keep Left Unless Overtaking’ lane sign tells you which lane to sit in on a multi-lane road. An arrow or the words on an island is the sign; which lane to use on a highway is the lane rule.