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Originally Posted by golfing eagles
Answer----when it is NOT turning "right" from the left hand lane. If you were going straight thru the RB (ie: 180 degrees in the right lane), then anyone in the left lane must have already been in the RB, probably going 270 from the entrance straight across from you or going straight through from the first exit to your left. In either case, that driver is correct in using the left lane to go either 180 or 270 and then exiting. If there is a 2 lane exit he does not need to change lanes. By description, it sounds like you entered the RB while a car was coming around from your left in the inner lane, in which case this was 100% your fault. You may not enter a RB when traffic is coming in EITHER lane.
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This seems a pretty clear explanation of the rules of driving the roundabouts. Unfortunately, IMHO, the nature of the roundabout is flawed, and no matter how much signage and how much drivers are aware of these rules, accidents are still going to happen. And it sure doesn't help when the guidelines of some roundabouts are different from those of other roundabouts. One doesn't have to be a newcomer or a snowbird to be confused by these inconsistencies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Byte1
Once again, the best way to make sure EVERYONE agrees on how to handle a circle/round about is to make them ALL one lane. Sure it slows everyone down, but it also makes everyone safer. Every rule, other than those pertaining to circles state that you don't make a right turn from a left lane, in front of a vehicle traveling straight or a left turn from the right lane in front of a vehicle traveling traveling straight. This totally makes the rules of the road contradictory, unsafe and difficult for out of towners that may have never traveled through intersections with RABs. Logic (and normal rules of the road) would dictate that the person on the outside lane in a circle would ALWAYS have the right of way and that anyone in the left lane, wishing to make a right turn would have to move over to the right lane well before making the turn. One sole lane in a circle would make the traffic slow down AND make it safer. Other than those taking a short cut through the Villages to avoid the lights on the highways, no one needs to be in a hurry in the Villages.
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I agree. Yes, it would slow traffic for persons who primarily don't need to be in a rush to get most anywhere. Yes, it would replace the roundabout problem with the merge problem prior to drivers reaching the roundabout, though again, IMHO, the merging issue is less of a potential problem than what now exists in the roundabouts.
And then you have those people who live in their own world, not cognizant of anyone else. Some years ago a friend and another man simultaneously walked out of a drugstore here in TV and witnessed an accident in the parking lot. One car was pulling out of the lot, while another was backing out of a parking spot and backed right into the side of the car that was leaving. The wife (?) of the driver who was first backing out jumped out of the car and started screaming at the driver of the other car. The other driver wisely did not respond to her but simply called 9-1-1.
The deputy was barely out of his vehicle when the woman started screaming at him. Her view was what right did that driver have to pass by just as the car she was in was backing out? The deputy could see quickly what he was dealing with and turned to my friend and the other man and asked if they had witnessed the accident, and if so, would one of them be willing to be a witness. Both replied yes to both questions. The other man then told the deputy that if it would help, he was the retired chief of police of [a small city in] Illinois. You'll do fine, the deputy said, and my friend left.
If this can happen in a straightforward situation in a parking lot, it's hard to imagine the complexities of roundabout accidents!