Roundabouts 101

To a new or even experienced driver, navigating through a roundabout can be intimidating and off-putting. While roundabouts aren’t as common as they are in other countries like England and France, they are increasing in popularity in the U.S.

First, what is a roundabout? Roundabouts are one-way circular intersections that are helpful for reducing congestion and traffic. Compared with the typical intersection, they handle more traffic by helping the flow of vehicles continue rather than the conventional method of stopping at a red light or stop sign.

Are they safer? Instead of “T-Bone” collisions and head-on crashes that happen at regular intersections, roundabouts have fewer car accidents. If there is an accident, it’s usually a sideswipe or fender-bender. Since drivers move slower in a roundabout, there are typically less severe crashes.

Many drivers don’t understand how to get through a roundabout, or when it’s their turn to go, so let’s dive into the proper rules of how to safely navigate a roundabout.

How to Drive in a Single-Lane Roundabout

Step 1:
As you’re driving, stay alert and check for the yellow “roundabout ahead” sign that will tell you if there’s an upcoming traffic circle that you’ll need to slow down and navigate. The speed will also drop, so make sure you’re following the advised speed limit. If you’re going too fast or not paying attention, that’s an easy way for an accident to happen.

Step 2:
As you start to enter the roundabout, make sure you slow down as you near the dashed yield line that marks the entrance of the traffic circle and yield to any pedestrians in the crosswalk.

Step 3:
After you check for people in the crosswalk, make sure to look left to yield to oncoming traffic in the roundabout. This is the most important factor to remember in the roundabout, as traffic is moving in a circular motion.

Step 4:
You’ve made it! It’s finally your turn to enter the roundabout. After you’ve checked to make sure no one is coming, you can enter the roundabout. Drive around the circle and continue at the same, slow speed. You don’t ever want to stop in the middle of the circle, as that would defeat the purpose of the roundabout.

Step 5:
As you come to the right exit, use your signal so people behind you know you’re turning, and then exit the roundabout carefully. Always make sure that you’re looking for pedestrians.

How to Drive in a Multi-Lane Roundabout:

Step 1:
As always, watch the signage and check for the yellow “roundabout ahead” sign that will tell you how fast you should be going and the black-and-white sign that will remind you to pick the appropriate lane that you need.

Step 2:
If you’re trying to go left, make sure that you get in the left lane. If you’re trying to go right, hop into the right lane. If you need to go straight in the roundabout, you need to either get in the left or the right lane. When you’re trying to make a U-turn, you’ll need to stay in the left lane. While this may seem straightforward, most people still admittedly have trouble figuring out how to navigate a multi-lane roundabout!

Step 3:
As always when entering traffic, you’ll want to watch for pedestrians to make sure no one is in the sidewalk trying to cross. Yielding is the most important part of roundabouts, as you have to yield to traffic in all lanes in the roundabout before you enter the traffic circle yourself.

Step 4:
Once you feel confident that you have enough time to enter a break in traffic in the circle, it’s finally your time to enter! Remember to stay in your lane, even if you pick the wrong one, it’s important that you don’t interrupt the flow of traffic.

Step 5:
As you near your exit, use your turn signal to let others around you know that you’re exiting the roundabout. Turn signals are always important, but especially in a roundabout, it can be the deciding factor between getting into a fender-bender or not!

Step 6:
After others around you know that you’re turning, you may exit the roundabout while checking again for pedestrians.

Congratulations! Now you successfully know how to enter both a single-lane roundabout and a multi-lane roundabout. With this knowledge, you may confidently enter a traffic circle without the fear of messing up.

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