Hi, I'd like a few opinions on a matter I came across today. This is my second day of driving (legally :razz, so please correct me if I'm wrong. The Irish RSA rules (not sure on other countries' rules) say that for the first exit on a roundabout, you should stay in the left-hand lane on roundabout entry, and indicate left. For the second exit, you should stay in the left-hand lane on entry, and indicate left after passing the first exit. For all subsequent exits, you should stay in the right-hand lane on entry, and indicate right, and upon passing the exit before your one, indicate left. The only exception is if the roundabout has arrows indicating where each lane should go, but this particular roundabout doesn't (it has a forward arrow in each lane, which is the norm).

So, I was coming along the red line, with a truck on my ass the whole way up the road (I had pulled out in front of him about 400 metres earlier, limit is 50 but he was obviously going far faster, as he was on top of me in no time). I wanted to take the second exit, so I followed the red line, by staying in the left-hand lane the whole way around, and indicating left at the orange dot. And then the truck blew me out of it and started flashing, etc., and my mam, who was in the passenger's seat, started giving out to me, even though I followed the rules to the letter. I haven't been able to ask an instructor on what to do yet, as I haven't had lessons, but I followed the rules perfectly. Half the people I've spoken to have told me that I was wrong, and was turning "right", so should have indicated right, and half have said although I was right, I should still indicate right as everyone else does.

So, was I right in what I did, or should I do it the other way? Nobody's been able to give me a definitive answer yet, and I'd like to know as it's a roundabout I use regularly, as it's just off the dual carriageway beside my house...

Yeah with 2 exits like that, the closest one would be straight on lane, and the second one is right lane. Just imagine a roundabout like that as having an exit to the left which you can't go down, but that means you treat the other two as the second and third exit.

Hope that makes sense!

Edit: But yeah if your way was what everyone did, it would only need to be a 1 lane wide roundabout, so there would be no need for the inside lane!

I thought that you should stay on the left if the exit is on the first half of the roundabout, and right for beyond. If that makes sense.

For that turning I would've approached on the right, beyond the first exit and move across to the left.


I passed my test 12 days ago

While the rules you state are true for a roundabout which has > 2 exits, it should be common sense that for a roundabout with only 2 exits and 2 lanes on entry to the roundabout, one should be for going straight on/left and the other should be for going right.

Disclaimer: I have never driven a car and although I intend to soon, the above comes from years of observations and stuff I've been told.

For that roundabout you should have been in the right hand lane. Indicating right until you passed the first exit then indicating left.


Look at it like a clock. If the exit you want is past the 12 o clock position from where you enter the roundabout, use the right hand lane and indicate right until you pass the exit before the one you want, then indicate left.

Thats what i always do anyway. I admit i cant remember the exact rule in the highway code, but my father was a driving instructor and he never pulled me up on any roundabout manoeuvres i made when he was in my car

That's what everyone else has been saying, and that's what I see everyone else doing. But I'm not sure if in a test situation I could do that...I'll be doing it in the mean time anyway, I should get a lesson sometime next week and I'll ask

Picture the roundabout as a clock. Generally if you're turning between 6hrs and 12hrs, keep left (left or straight on). If you're turning between 12hrs and 6hrs, use the right hand lane (turning more right than straight on). There should be a diagram of the roundabout on approach.. spot your turn on that and decide which lane.

Edit:

Quote from The Moose :

Look at it like a clock. If the exit you want is past the 12 o clock position from where you enter the roundabout, use the right hand lane and indicate right until you pass the exit before the one you want, then indicate left.

Grrr.. I type slow today

Quote from dougie-lampkin :

That's what everyone else has been saying, and that's what I see everyone else doing. But I'm not sure if in a test situation I could do that...I'll be doing it in the mean time anyway, I should get a lesson sometime next week and I'll ask

You definitely should lol, if there are two the first exit is the left, second right. Always If you do that in a test you could end up being in the way of someone trying to exit from the inside, which would be an instant fail.

Quote from SamH :

Picture the roundabout as a clock. Generally if you're turning between 6hrs and 12hrs, keep left (left or straight on). If you're turning between 12hrs and 6hrs, use the right hand lane (turning more right than straight on). There should be a diagram of the roundabout on approach.. spot your turn on that and decide which lane.

You explained it better than I did.

Quote from The Moose :

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Tr ... ort/Highwaycode/DG_070338

Should always ready your highway code :P

Left lane approach is for the the left side of the roundabout, the right lane approach is for the right side of the roundabout, simple

EDIT: Though things can get tricky when you're approaching from a dual carriageway :P (pic 1) (scuse the wiggly lines)

and try living with this as your local roundabout I do (pic 2)

Just do what we do here in America...

...just go round the damned thing and let everyone else worry about what you're going to do, lol.

No, but seriously, my rule of thumb normally is, if you can SEE the exit you're going to take when you look around the way you're traveling, you should probably be in the outside lane. If you can't see it, you should just stay in the inside lane. But whichever lane you're in, always use your signal to indicate where you're going. If you're in the inside lane, you might think it's fairly obvious that you're going to continue around the roundabout, but having your blinker on let's people know that that's your plan...

You were in the wrong - you should of hung onto the right-hand lane, signalling right, and should of started to signal left and moving over onto the left (after checking your mirrors, obviously!) at the yellow dot...

Been driving 9 days

Quote from dougie-lampkin :

my mam, who was in the passenger's seat, started giving out to me

This is why you shouldn't learn to drive with family. A instructor would have corrected you before you got flashed by the truck, more to the point you'd have had a noddy hat on your car so the truck would have given you plenty of room.

[edit:

This is what you should have done. Oh and signal right the whole way until the dot where you signal left.]

[edit2: Don't forget to check the left mirror before you move over.]

Quote from Jakg :

You were in the wrong - you should of hung onto the left-hand lane

Been driving 9 days

Retake your test then. He did stay in the left lane, and that was wrong.


@Xaid0n That second roundabout is insane. I've never seen anything like it.

Quote from The Moose :

Retake your test then. He did stay in the left lane, and that was wrong.


@Xaid0n That second roundabout is insane. I've never seen anything like it.

Re-read his whole post, I don't think he wrote left by accident.

Quote from The Moose :

Retake your test then. He did stay in the left lane, and that was wrong.


@Xaid0n That second roundabout is insane. I've never seen anything like it.

I meant right - shit.

Edited.

Fun one in Swindon!

Quote from Jakg :

I meant right - shit.

Edited.

Aye, it helps if you know your left from your right when driving.

@SamH Who the hell designed that thing? Surely one of the most over complicated roundabouts in history. Totally unnecessary imho.

Quote from The Moose :

Aye, it helps if you know your left from your right when driving.

When my examiner asked if I had any disabilities, I told him I had.. that I couldn't tell left from right. He said he'd point!

Quote from SamH :

When my examiner asked if I had any disabilities, I told him I had.. that I couldn't tell left from right. He said he'd point!

My examiner didn't ask if I had any disabilities. I did however tell him I'm not very good at listening.

Quote from SamH :

When my examiner asked if I had any disabilities, I told him I had.. that I couldn't tell left from right. He said he'd point!

I can see you smacking someone in the behind as the instructor whips his arm out, right in front of your face, when pointing right..

Quote from SamH :

When my examiner asked if I had any disabilities, I told him I had.. that I couldn't tell left from right. He said he'd point!

Hehe. I'm terrible at giving directions to people when I'm in their cars. I always say turn left when i mean right and vice versa. I realised i had to just say "that way" and point, it's a lot easier.

Roundies like that, with no left turn as you approach, can be a bugger to decide which lane to use when you're new to roundabouts. Just remember that if you're going past "straight on", get in the right hand lane, indicate right, then indicate left before you turn off.

Living in MK, I don't really understand how people get confused by roundabouts

Quote from The Moose :

Aye, it helps if you know your left from your right when driving.

@SamH Who the hell designed that thing? Surely one of the most over complicated roundabouts in history. Totally unnecessary imho.

It is supposed to cut down on congestion, but there would be thousands of people sat on the side of the road trying to work out how to get across it.

Also the first Magic Roundabout, bottom right, black car pulling out in front of the red van. You guys learning should never do that, it is naughty. People to the right have priority.