Roundabouts

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by FgNewbie

After driving today, I agree, some people are so hell bent on ensuring they get what they THINK is their right of way they don't care how stupid or dangerous they are.

At one suburban roundabout I was entering, I noticed & heard a car in the street on my right accelerating as they approached the roadabout.

We have a winner.

I'm almost positive the law was give way to the right when I got my licence more years ago than I care to remember. I'm also quite sure the law was changed because of the above circumstances.

I tend to mostly give way to the right on a roundabout mainly due to the ignorance of others that don't follow the law in using roundabouts. The other day I got caught out by such a bonehead when I entered the roundabout with the car on my right at least 20 meters from the intersection. He sped up, hit the roundabout at 60+kph and sat on his horn the whole way through - even though I had cleared the roundabout.

Do people punch through give way signs on intersections at 40kph+? No? Why should a roundabout be any different? It's a give way sign with a circle in it.

[burnz]

yet at a normal giveway "T" intersection they turn left without looking left, only to the right..
hence so many fatilitys on single lane roads (one car overtaking another, only to have a car pull out of a side street)

[zeppelin_1988]

you guys should come to WA where noone gives way in any situation.

[wrongwaynorris]

" I dont care if I am right or wrong, Im ok with what I do so I dont care."

And with an attitude like this I reiterate what I said in the previous thread you started " God I hope I dont encounter you on the road .
I hope this attitude is a comfort to you after you kill someone .

[xisled]

Ok so everyone is saying giveway to the right and also giveway to everyone on the roundabout. Its pretty much the same thing, just the wording has changed from the right to everyone.

Now when waiting for the cars on your right to pass you do need to give way to them. Unless you can make it through the roundabout without being a hazard. The reason I say this, is because if you moved out into a roundabout and get hit by a car that is traveling on your right, they are always going to be deemed to be in the roundabout before you. The reason why they will, is that they have the greater distance to travel. Yes speed is a factor on who got to the rounadabout first but in most cases in car accidents speed will not be taken into account on who is responsible or not. (well in insurance terms anyway) So giving way to the right, is a must due to the cars on the right, will be deemed to be in the roundabout longer, due to the greater distance they will have to travel, than the car to the left.

[FgNewbie]

xisled see post 60.

[wrongwaynorris]

" The bottom line is that regardless of who entered the roundabout first, in the event of a collision and telling your insurer, it would be hard for the driver of the vehicle on the left to prove they were in the roundabout before the vehicle on the right. "

Not in the case of the morally self annointed clowns footage who started all this off , you can see the lady he nearly T Boned was clearly in the roundabout before him .

For Gods sake none of us obey 12 year old speed limits , or any other 12 year old road rule , how can anyone put up an argument for obeying a 12 year old roundabout rule .

[xisled]

Im not talking about police fineing people. Im talking about from an insurance point of view. I do liabilty for a job and over my 5 years in doing it, I have never come across a case where the person on the left is not at fault. That court ruling is a very rare one. You would be hard up finding another one like this. But I personally have dealt with 100`s of claims where the person on the left is found at fault. As I said its all about how far each car would have to travel taking speed out of the accident. As insurance companys can not prove speed.

[BENT_8]

Ok, so lets say im heading North and approach a single lane suburban roundabout. A vehicle is already on the roundabout and i come to a stop to 'give way'.
The vehicle passes and i begin to enter the roundabout from a stand still.
By the time im fully on the roundabout and barely doing 5km/hr (remebering i've just moved from stationary and am not leaving the christmas tree on a 1/4mile run) when some peanut screams through from my right heading west(below the 50k speed limit mind you) and collects my right rear quarter.
How can it be my fault if i have given way to the first car only to be cleaned up by the peanut who failed to slow to a reasonable speed and give way to me as first person on the roundabout?

If insurance companies are failing to recognise this situation then there is a real problem that needs to be looked at as innocent people are being found culpable for no wrong doing!

[GreenR]

Originally Posted by Bobman

They already have in some places. In Melbourne a few roundabouts have been removed and replaced by traffic lights. Two notable ones in the last 20 years were Boundary Road / Lower Dandenong Road and East Boundary Road / Centre Road.

Nah not replace the roundabouts with traffic light intersections. I mean roundabouts with traffic lights. There is a few over in Greensborough/Lower Plenty way. Not sure where else.

[Bobman]

Originally Posted by plarazza

Nah not replace the roundabouts with traffic light intersections. I mean roundabouts with traffic lights. There is a few over in Greensborough/Lower Plenty way. Not sure where else.

I get you. The roundabout I mentioned in Braeside that was replaced with a traffic light intersection actually had traffic lights on the north-south sides at about 20 metres before the roundabout and would go red if there was too much traffic at the east-west sides.

[Ben73]

So If you get to a roundabout and there is a car on your right there first, you let them go, but there is another 8 cars behind them, do you have to wait for them all??? Or can you go after the first car has passed.

[ebxr8240]

There has to sufficient gap to enter so there's "no chance of a collision" which is what most of you are leaving out... Acceleration is not being prepared to give way and avoid a collision...Then have the cheek to toot the horn !!!

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by Ben73

So If you get to a roundabout and there is a car on your right there first, you let them go, but there is another 8 cars behind them, do you have to wait for them all??? Or can you go after the first car has passed.

And therein lays the problem with the rules...
If you stop to give way to someone who was there before you (on your right) they drive through at say 40kmh (which rarely happens in anycase), if there is multiple cars behind them also travelling at 40kmh they wont stop to give way to you because your still stationery.

By the time you put your foot down to pull out legally as your already there before the next car in the que on your right, the car on your right who is doing 40kmh has now entered the roundabout and will collect you.

This is despite the fact you entered the roundabout legally (you were there first) but you moved from a standing start, where as a car on your right was already moving.

There is simply no safe way of entering a roundabout (small roundabout) from a standing start if you have a large amount of fast moving traffic on your right.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Ben73

So If you get to a roundabout and there is a car on your right there first, you let them go, but there is another 8 cars behind them, do you have to wait for them all??? Or can you go after the first car has passed.

Examiner wanted me to wait until they where all gone.

Which of course never works in real life when there is a massive line on your right.

[Ben73]

That's why first come first serve doesn't really work.


The most common thing people do seams to be "give way to cars already on the roundabout on your right or about to enter on your right".
Most people don't even seam to look left at all at roundabouts.

It seams to work most of the time, sure when there is a few cars on the right it might take a bit longer, but normally they break up the traffic flow with other cars that are going down the road you are coming from.

On a busy roundabout with multiple lanes how are you going to know who got there in what order??? Take a number like you do at Woolworths deli and wait your turn to go? Not going to happen, so the best you can do is give way to your right.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by Ben73

It seems to work most of the time, sure when there is a few cars on the right it might take a bit longer, but normally they break up the traffic flow with other cars that are going down the road you are coming from.

On a busy roundabout with multiple lanes how are you going to know who got there in what order??? Take a number like you do at Woolworths deli and wait your turn to go? Not going to happen, so the best you can do is give way to your right.

Just wait for gap sufficient so there is no risk of someone running into you when you enter the roundabout.
When people simply say to give way to the right, this is ambiguous, some interpret this as waiting for all vehicles coming from the right regardless of a sufficient gap where they can easily get into without risk.
I find the trickiest part at a roundabout is trying to work out whether vehicles are turning into the road you are exiting, or whether they are continuing across in front of you. Indicators are useless and/or misleading most of the time.

[ebxr8240]

In the U.K they have roundabouts on roundabouts...
They basically work o/k...
Where they can fail at times is when too much traffic is on one road
at peak traffic..

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by nitro xr

Just wait for gap sufficient so there is no risk of someone running into you when you enter the roundabout.
When people simply say to give way to the right, this is ambiguous, some interpret this as waiting for all vehicles coming from the right regardless of a sufficient gap where they can easily get into without risk.
.

This is a pretty good explanation of how it works.

[platinumXR]

I guess this thread is a prime example of why periodic examination may be needed to avoid confusion.

[FgNewbie]

platinumXR, I believe education comes before examination.

In some cases, examinations are a mere formality.

Some people are not confused, they are just ______

I dont care if I am right or wrong, Im ok with what I do so I dont care.

Yesterday I did some random reading on roundabout fatalities, the numbers were higher than I imagined.

[platinumXR]

Originally Posted by FgNewbie

platinumXR, I believe education comes before examination.

In some cases, examinations are a mere formality.

Some people are not confused, they are just ______


Yesterday I did some random reading on roundabout fatalities, the numbers were higher than I imagined.

Yes I can imagine the numbers were high, and you are correct - better / more education and examination.

Don't worry, soap box is in the cupboard.

[xespak84]

first one on the roundabout should be first out i hate when people try to race you through roundabouts that go into one lane at the end.

[chrisfpv]

Originally Posted by xespak84

first one on the roundabout should be first out i hate when people try to race you through roundabouts that go into one lane at the end.

Is it because you're always the one behind?

But seriously, I don't think that's the issue. If two cars are going into a roundabout around the same time the inside lane is going to have a shorter distance to travel then the outside lane.

I don't think people race to get infront, rather keep the same speed or speed up maybe a little to merge without any dramas. It'd be a cluster**** if the person on the inside lane entered the roundabout second and slowed down for the outside lane to drive ahead so he/she could merge in behind.

[xespak84]

yeah true, ive been on the inside lane and numerous times people will speed up to get next to you then try to cut you off.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by xespak84

yeah true, ive been on the inside lane and numerous times people will speed up to get next to you then try to cut you off.

Are you one of those drivers that drives really slow and accelerates really slow all the time then cause 5 people attempt to overtake you because they are sick of going so slow?

[4.0i OHC]

I had always considered "give way to the right" to be common sense when dealing with roundabouts. I'm surprised it's not required, and I have always considered those who fail to give way to the right at roundabouts to be that type of driver- the incompetent type who always fails to indicate or observe any road rules.

[superpursuit83]

I have never actualy come across a car on my left at a roundabout. My rule is simple, he who hesitates loses... And dont drive in front of a car that might hit ya.

3 pages of roundabout discussion is really worrying for us smart drivers

[FgNewbie]

Originally Posted by fairlaneman

I had always considered "give way to the right" to be common sense when dealing with roundabouts. I'm surprised it's not required, and I have always considered those who fail to give way to the right at roundabouts to be that type of driver- the incompetent type who always fails to indicate or observe any road rules.

Common sense would dictate better education for negotiating roundabouts.

Calling others incompetent for failing to do it your way may be perceived as an indication of ignorance or arrogance.

Under normal circumstances, I navigate roundabouts legally and safely.
Where I live, vehicles on my right don't automatically have legal right of way unless they have entered the roundabout before me.

Using common sense relative to the road rules, I won't impede the path of another vehicle that I believe will enter the roundabout before me. That means, if necessary, I will stop before entering the roundabout.

Self-preservation dicatates I also tend to stop for drivers that think being on the right means they can speed up on approach and bulldoze through.

I trust I'm not mixing incompetence with incontinence

Speaking of roundabouts, this thread is on one of its own

[Highway]

How hard is the law on roundabouts.. Its give way to ANYthing that is on the roundabout... rule is 1st on owns it..