How to safely use a roundabout
If there aren’t any roundabouts where you live, you may not know what to do if you encounter one. Hesitating or not following the correct procedure could lead to a fender bender or serious collision. Fortunately, the Certified Auto Repair team has your back. Here are some tips to help you enter and exit a roundabout with confidence.
Important things to remember
Keep the following rules in mind when you encounter a roundabout:
- Reduce your speed
- Read the signs
- Enter the roundabout from the right
- Yield to other vehicles or cyclists to your left
- Drive in a counter-clockwise direction
- Don’t stop inside the roundabout, except to avoid a collision
- Before exiting the roundabout, turn on your blinker and check for pedestrians and cyclists
- If you missed your exit, continue around the roundabout until you reach your exit
The benefits of roundabouts
You may be thinking, aren’t traffic lights and stop signs just as effective as roundabouts? Well, according to the Ministère des Transports du Québec, roundabouts encourage speed reduction, reduce the number and severity of accidents and regulate the flow of traffic. Therefore, it’s no surprise they’re popping up everywhere.
The difference between a roundabout and a traffic circle
At one time, traffic circles were common in many areas of Quebec. Unlike roundabouts, in a traffic circle, it is the motorists entering it who have the right of way. Therefore, vehicles already in the circle must give way to them. This could explain why drivers who are used to traditional traffic circles are confused about the rules for roundabouts.