[Joaniesmom]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

The problem I see here is if the other driver has entered the roundabout at your first exit. They are then going straight through from their angle. I always look to my right when exiting from the left hand lane and yield to any traffic that is there.

That's what I was wondering about. It was all perfectly clear to me until I started thinking about folks going straight through starting from the first exit to my right.

The whole thing gives me a headache. I'll be fine staying in the outside lane unless, unfortunately, I have to make a left turn!

[KathieI]

Originally Posted by Wayne_TN

Russ - thanks. I have never heard (or at least never processed) that you shouldn't enter the roundabout when somebody is in either lane approaching you - that should alleviate the problem (If we can get everybody to do it )

KathyI's rules are good, too. - if nobody's near you when you try to turn, it's pretty hard to get clobbered...

As I think about this, I think in the future when I want to go straight thru the roundabout, I'm gonna try to be in the inside lane. That will force me to use Russ's rule about not entering when either lane is occupied and will give me the option of making another revolution with no worries if somebody does come up beside me and I'm not feeling good about whether they're gonna exit with me or keep going around...

I love it when a plan comes together

Excellent. That's exactly what I do too.. If someone is in the circle, I do not enter until its clear. And watch who is around you and if someone does enter the circle at the first exit, I slow down until I figure what they are doing. Slow down is not Stop and it is yielding, which is always good. The few times I almost got clobbered, someone came into the circle without looking and I was in the circle in the outer lane exiting into the first exit. I guess people do not know the meaning of "YIELD"??? Be safe, we all are retired and living the good life. (well, most of us, lol)

[skyguy79]

Originally Posted by Joaniesmom

I recently had a close (very close) encounter at a local roundabout. The other driver was extremely angry with me and I have been thinking about the event ever since. I thought I was doing the right thing but now am not so sure.

So, if going straight through a roundabout using the inside lane, do you have to yield to someone to your right when exiting?

I hope I explained this clearly and would appreciate any advice. I try very hard to be a safe and considerate driver. It was very upsetting to me to be yelled at and I certainly don't want to be the cause of any accidents.

Let me answer your concern in a way that I don't think anyone has yet to mention. If the vehicle in the right lane had hit you, they would have found out the hard way that they were in the wrong when they were given a citation for failure to yield the right of way to you.

p.s. On Saturday I noticed a commercial vehicle that presumably exited from the Hemingway gate near Havana CC that did a 360, or possibly a 450 (full circle and a quarter from Morse SB) entirely in the outside lane, then entered the Hemingway gate station and then make a left into Havana. Good thing we weren't a few seconds sooner in entering from the Hadley gate or we could have possibly gotten hit!

[Bogie Shooter]

33 posts and counting.

roundabout brochure
http://sumtercountyfl.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=3939

[drdodge]

I am from Boston and we have a lot roundabouts. WHEN U ENTER STAY TO THE RIGHT UNTIL U EXIT AND THEN U WILL BE SAFE. U SHOULD NEVER MAKE RIGHT TURN FROMTHE LEFT SIDE OF THE CIRCLE
DRD

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by drdodge

I am from Boston and we have a lot roundabouts. WHEN U ENTER STAY TO THE RIGHT UNTIL U EXIT AND THEN U WILL BE SAFE. U SHOULD NEVER MAKE RIGHT TURN FROMTHE LEFT SIDE OF THE CIRCLE
DRD

Even in all CAPS, this is all wrong!

[Indydealmaker]

Originally Posted by Joaniesmom

That's what I was wondering about. It was all perfectly clear to me until I started thinking about folks going straight through starting from the first exit to my right.

The whole thing gives me a headache. I'll be fine staying in the outside lane unless, unfortunately, I have to make a left turn!

In that instance, the party entering from your right is not supposed to enter the roundabout until you have passed them and they are not supposed to ever pass anyone IN the circle. That would allow them to see your right turn signal and honor your right of way.

[Indydealmaker]

Originally Posted by drdodge

I am from Boston and we have a lot roundabouts. WHEN U ENTER STAY TO THE RIGHT UNTIL U EXIT AND THEN U WILL BE SAFE. U SHOULD NEVER MAKE RIGHT TURN FROMTHE LEFT SIDE OF THE CIRCLE
DRD

Think about that for a second.
That would only work for a single lane circle.
In the event of two lanes, the left lane could only go round and round for ever like Chevy Chase in European Vacation.

[John_W]

I found the easiest way is to imagine a 4-way stop instead of a round circle. Each side has two lanes. If you were to make a right turn or to go straight you would of used the right lane at a 4-way stop. If you are making a left turn you would of been in the left turn. Same rules apply to a roundabout. So when you go to the third exit in the outside (right lane), you've made an illegal left turn and have put yourself in jeopardy of being T-boned by a car on the inside lane going straight. That's the one difference, the option of going straight can be made from either lane. However, if you apply all the 4-way stop rules you shouldn't have a problem.

[OldDave]

I responded to another thread about the recent accidents and driving in TV a little bit ago. I had not seen this thread. I did go on and on about the same round about isses raised here.

I think the one thing this post proves is just how confusing the round abouts are here. You simply cannot understand a circle that lets people turn right from left lanes. It would be much better to reduce all the traffic a single lane for the round abouts, but I'm guessing in January you would have chaos.

I have to agree with what drd said, that is how roundabouts work in most of the world. Also, in general two lane roundabouts exist in places where they are much larger and there is room to change lanes between exits. You stay in the inside lane until you are near your turn and then change to the right lane, with those behind you in the right lane generally turning at the exit you just passed. These in TV are so small, you're always at an exit. Essentially the left lane really doesn't have a function, other than to clog things up.

I wish we had a traffic engineer on here who could shed some light about how these could actually function smoothly.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by OldDave

I responded to another thread about the recent accidents and driving in TV a little bit ago. I had not seen this thread. I did go on and on about the same round about isses raised here.

I think the one thing this post proves is just how confusing the round abouts are here. You simply cannot understand a circle that lets people turn right from left lanes. It would be much better to reduce all the traffic a single lane for the round abouts, but I'm guessing in January you would have chaos.

I have to agree with what drd said, that is how roundabouts work in most of the world. Also, in general two lane roundabouts exist in places where they are much larger and there is room to change lanes between exits. You stay in the inside lane until you are near your turn and then change to the right lane, with those behind you in the right lane generally turning at the exit you just passed. These in TV are so small, you're always at an exit. Essentially the left lane really doesn't have a function, other than to clog things up.

I wish we had a traffic engineer on here who could shed some light about how these could actually function smoothly.

...

[Mikeod]

Originally Posted by OldDave

I wish we had a traffic engineer on here who could shed some light about how these could actually function smoothly.

The roundabouts actually will function smoothly if people would simply follow the signs posted. But too many simply think they KNOW how to navigate the roundabouts, a good example being the poster above who states you should stay in the outside lane all the way around. WRONG WRONG. Read the signs, read the brochure. Examine the diagram posted earlier in this thread.

The other major factor, as stated above, is to never enter a roundabout beside another car already there. BOTH lanes must be clear before entering the roundabout. It's not rocket science. You can do it safely with a little awareness.

And for those who wish they were one lane. Not going to happen. Two lanes were a requirement by the county for TV to be built with the density it has. So you might as well learn to navigate them the way they were designed.

[OldDave]

Not to beat this dead horse more than necessary, Mike. But it is clear the signs don't make sense to many, many people. I was there for a month, I studied the signs, and I've read what all these folks have said. They are very confusing.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by OldDave

Not to beat this dead horse more than necessary, Mike. But it is clear the signs don't make sense to many, many people. I was there for a month, I studied the signs, and I've read what all these folks have said. They are very confusing.

These are the same people who do not understand what a stop sign, yield sign, speed limit sign, etc. means!

[Bogie Shooter]

For more information:
59 posts Who knows how to drive on the round-a-bouts?

46 posts roundabouts

173 posts New Roundabout Signs

50 posts The Very Last Roundabout post.