Tips For Tackling Roundabouts

One of the most common sticking points for new driving students is tackling roundabouts. While they may appear confusing at first, once you have the hang of them you should find that you will be able to drive around these obstacles as you would any other that you may encounter on the road. If you are preparing for your first few driving lessons, or you have encountered your first roundabout on the road and found yourself feeling a little flummoxed, try to keep all of the following in mind to help you to tackle them more effectively.

The Approach

Roundabouts are generally going to be well signposted before you get to them, so you need to be absolutely certain of the exit you want to take before you actually get to the roundabout. As a learner it is likely that your driving instructor will tell you where to go, but it is a good idea to get into the habit anyway.

As you approach the roundabout itself, drop down into second gear. If there are cars in front then you obviously need to stop entirely until they have moved onto the roundabout.

If the way is clear though, you need to look to your right to see if any other cars are approaching the roundabout from the exit to your immediate right. If there are, you need to remember that you always must give way to the right on the roundabout, so if the car is about to pull out, bring yourself to a stop and wait until there are no more cars to the right before pulling out yourself.

Approach the roundabout with confidence and understand your right of way and that of the other cars.

Turning Off

Of course, once you are on the roundabout you need to understand how to properly signal so that the cars behind you know where you want to turn off.

Roundabouts commonly have two lanes, so you need to know which one to use and when in order to do this correctly.

If you wish to take the first exit, stick to the left lane and indicate during your approach. This will let cars know that you’re just going to be turning straight off, instead of negotiating more of the roundabout.

If you want to take the second exit, you still need to stick to the left lane, but your indication should not come until you have passed the first exit. Once you have, you can then indicate to let people know that you’re about to turn off.

Finally, if you want to take the third exit of the roundabout, you must stick to the inside, or right lane, until you have passed the second exit. From there, indicate and move over into the left lane as you approach your turn.

The Final Word

Now these signalling rules are not perfect, as there will sometimes be roundabouts with more than three exits. Furthermore, there are also more complex roundabouts that make use of traffic light systems as well. However, these simple tips should help you to tackle the most common forms of roundabout.