When will drivers learn to keep in the correct lane when using a roundabout?

Question

Imagine a roundabout with four exits. I am at 6 pm on this imaginary clock face, exit is at 1 at 9pm, exit 2 at 12 noon and exit 3 at 3pm and exit four parallel to you at 6pm. Why when I use the roundabout corretly indication right and on the right hand side of the aproach road to leave at the third exit at 3pm; do idiots who are going straight acrooss see the need to start their manover on my left, then drive straight across nearly touching their driver's side wheels on the center of the roundabout, cutting right in front of me and causing me to break, then proceed to weave over to the left lane so to exit at 12 noon? In other words they are taking the raing line. If there was an accident cause by the lane weaver bumping into me, would he be in the wrong? or is this a too grey an area for an insurance claim? So many drivers have no idea how to use a roundabout properly. What about a Telly ad ? do you think that would help?

Answer 1

You are absolutely correct in your procedure on a roundabout but it is aso your responsibility to be careful of others not taking the correct route, therefore most insurance companies accept a 50/50 blame clause

A  T.V. add would probably help but expect a rise in your road tax because these adds are very expensive

Answer 2

Probably when there is some consistency in the road marking applied by the planners.  The Highway code used to be quite plain about it in the past, however, roundabouts seem to have grown in size and number of exits over the years so maybe this is where the problems have crept in.

Answer 3

In the US most states have done away with Roundabouts because of problems like this!

Except for Massachusetts where we still have far too many of them except we call a roundabout a Rotary, and from what i see each day I'll tell you that 99.87% of people have no clue as to how to drive in them.

I know a few people who just go and hope for the best.

my answer to your question would be NEVER!

Answer 4

I have been arguing for the return of the public information film for years! There was once one about how to use roundabouts. People thought surely no one is so stupid they need to be told on telly everynight how its done. How did they pass the test? But when the public info films stopped we realised yes, they ARE that stupid. Bring them back!

Answer 5

It's like asking when all drivers will be good drivers.

ANSWER: never!

Answer 6

Simple answer to this is more traffic police. Since the government of the UK decided to enforce traffic law through cheap low maintenance cameras the number of traffic police has dropped.

How may cameras have caught driver abusing the lanes in roundabouts?.

Ja.

Answer 7

You're right, he would be wrong, and they'll learn at the same time as they learn to use indicators.

Answer 8

I teach pupils to signal everytime, and looking at a roundabout like a clock, useing this method. IF AFTER MIDNIGHT STAY RIGHT. meaning if you are going right stay right. we are also taught to stay in the left lane when going ahead, but this is not the case on some r/bouts, some have 3 lanes on approach, left to go left, middle for straight on, and right to go right, this can confuse new drivers also, I had  a pupil recently that was ready for her test, she had moved to our area, and needed a few lessons in the new area before trying for her test, she did exactly what you said , run a straight line over the r/bout, she was told to do it that way. so sadly it is being taught by some, I corrected this and she said she actually felt safer and more confident as she was always cut up on r/bouts, in fact she was the one doing the cutting up, so really. there is no answer, there was a question on here yesterday, who's responsibility is it, if a driver over 14 does not wear a seatbelt in your car? . no-one reads the rules now. once they Pass they forget it, we need re-tests every 5 years at least, if only to test your eyes,

Answer 9

So it's not just me then!  Yes, don't they drive you INSANE!

It's not just lane discipline that is lacking.  What about signalling????  Correct signalling at roundabouts is the exception rather than the rule these days.

By way of a partial answer to your question, the rule on UK roundabouts is 'give priority to traffic coming from your right' so, if a car pulls out in front of you from the left, THEY are in the wrong.  Your insurer should back you on that though they do seem to take the easy way out much of time, using the power WE have granted them to determine liability without our involvement.

Answer 10

I am a driving instructor and I park my pupils near a roundabout to explain the rules and show the how 80% of drivers drive around them incorrectly, I spend a lot of time on the road and witness near misses every day. I think everyone should have to go back to the test centre every 5 years and drive around a roundabout a few times with an examiner. If the can not do it properly then a few hours remedial training would get them back on track, and make the roads a bit safer.

Answer 11

As more and more roundabouts spring up, more and more seem to vary the traditionally accepted 'lane rules'.  This ads to confusion, and laziness when it comes to many roundabouts.

But, from what you say, if i am picturing it correctly, the driver who cut you up (obviously was not in lane, and should never have come so close), sounds like he WAS [almost!] in the correct lane.  At a 'normal' four exit roundabout, you would take the left lane for the first and second exits, and the right hand lane for the third and fourth.  barring any silly peculiarities of that specific roundabout.

EDIT-Just realised, I am in the UK, and this scenario is probably on a US roundabout.  Sorry if I seemed really thick! lol

Answer 12

AS long as there are bad drivers without common since, then never, sorry.

Answer 13

I learned years back to drive in Edmonton, Canada.  We had traffic circles there.  Of course we drive on the right side of the road, so our direction of travel around the circle is opposite to yours, but the principles are the same.  

A proper traffic circle, with everybody driving it the way they should, is an excellent way to clear traffic.  However, so many people drive them wrong that the circles in Edmonton now have traffic lights to control traffic entering.

I believe drivers are not properly trained, and far too many have the "me" complex as well.  What you are seeing will only get worse, I'm afraid.

Answer 14

My pet hate is the fact that drivers indicate 'right' when they are going straight on. Unless I am mistaken there should be no signal until they are ready to leave the Roundabout.

BUt you are right - chopping lanes is definetely wrong and is annoying (of course with large vehicles they cann't avoid some measure of overlap but at least you are aware that this is going to happen and as they are professional drivers they do try and minimise the effect.