By popular request we are writing a how-to guide on how to navigate the few roundabouts we have in the Wake Forest area.
While you would not think such a guide would be necessary we can confirm some drivers either don’t have a clue how a traffic circle works, or maybe don’t care.
Let’s take the roundabout near Olive Garden and Kohl’s as a classic example of how to deal with these things.
Transfixed in hellfire impatience to get to Kohl’s before the discount coupon expires, on more than one occasion I’ve witnessed drivers just skipping the whole round about concept and hanging a left.
While I certainly applaud their creativity and enthusiasm, this isn’t how roundabouts work in the real world.
For those of us who have lived in other parts of the country or world, roundabouts are a regular driving obstacle that we need to learn to deal with.
While living in the UK, which is literally littered with roundabouts, very few if any accidents come to mind occurring at those circular things. Incredibly traffic just wove in and out and blended like a boss.
Below is a video of my UK commute in 2007 which includes navigating two busy roundabouts. Just wanted to show you it really can be done. Bonus: watch the first part of the commute. Keep in mind the traffic in the UK you will see below drives on the left side of the road and goes around roundabouts to the left. We don’t live in the UK here in Wake Forest so stick to going right.
Below is an illustration that shows you how YOU DO navigate a roundabout when you are going to Kohl’s for your steam vacuum.
While it might seem like a roundabout is a colossal pain in the ass, keep in mind the benefit is they keep traffic moving instead of everyone having to come to a stop. At traditional intersections the most common accident is a t-bone accident where a car turns left across oncoming traffic. This is not the case with roundabouts because drivers that have a clue about what they are doing are all traveling in the same direction.
When a driver approaches a roundabout and a car is in the roundabout and coming from the left, the driver entering is supposed to give the vehicle in the roundabout the right-of-way. That is assuming the traffic is navigating the roundabout the correct way. If the traffic in the roundabout is driving it backwards, all bets are off.
Well at least that’s how I understand the whole roundabout thing. It’s clear some other Wake Forest drivers have an alternative view on them and just wind up doing whatever they damn well please.