Speed limitUruguay
Traffic rules
Uruguay
1. Speed limit
A speed limit is the maximum legal speed permitted on a road, lane or within a designated area. It may be established by general traffic law or indicated by fixed, variable or temporary traffic signs.
A speed limit is a maximum, not a target speed. Drivers must travel more slowly whenever traffic, visibility, weather, road conditions, vulnerable road users or the condition of the vehicle make the maximum permitted speed unsafe.
Which general speed limits should car drivers know in Uruguay?
The national general maximum is 45 km/h in urban and suburban areas. For light vehicles without trailers, the rural maximum in optimal conditions is 90 km/h. Competent authorities may authorise higher signed limits on suitable roads, including rural sections up to 110 km/h. Neither 60 km/h in town nor 110 km/h outside town is a universal default.
May I use 110 km/h on every Uruguayan rural highway?
No. The ordinary rural maximum for a light vehicle without a trailer is 90 km/h in optimal conditions. A higher maximum, up to 110 km/h, requires authorisation on a suitable section and appropriate signs. It is a section-specific exception.
Start of a speed limit.
English • Traffic sign R-19 • Maximum speed: 60 km/h. Do not exceed 60 km/h. Reduce speed further when conditions require.
Español • R-19 • Velocidad máxima: 60 km/h. No superes los 60 kilómetros por hora. Reduce más la velocidad cuando las condiciones lo exijan.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Gub.uy • MTOP, Norma Uruguaya de Señalización Vertical, PDF p. 88
🔗 Gub.uy • MTOP, significado, PDF p. 26
🔗 Gub.uy • UNASEV, Guía nacional de conducción, PDF p. 125
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Intendencia de Durazno • Public domain • Original revision 2025-07-03. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Uruguayan MTOP Norma Uruguaya de Señalización Vertical, currently published standard: Gub.uy • R-19, PDF page 88. Intentional educational illustration update from the previous PNG; original SVG unmodified.
Exact 60 km/h illustration also reviewed against Gub.uy • UNASEV Guía nacional de conducción, PDF page 125.
Does Uruguay require lower rural speeds near particular hazards even without a numerical sign?
Yes. On rural roads outside urban and suburban areas, the regulation reduces the relevant maxima to 60 km/h near danger warnings without a numerical maximum, and to 40 km/h near specified hazards such as signed pedestrian crossings and junctions with poor visibility. It also requires 20 km/h in specified circumstances, including crowds, especially pupils entering or leaving school; zones marked gente en obra unless another maximum is signed; approaching livestock herds on or near the carriageway; and unbarred railway crossings. Separate stop duties still apply. Use a still lower safe speed when necessary.
