Round about navigation

[hymerman1]

I have noticed over the past year or so that other drivers are giving me the finger. This at a two lane approach and exit, I travel in the nearside but many drivers seem to be of the opinion that the nearside approach should be used solely for the left exit allowing the people going straight on but using the outside lane to take the nearside straight on exit.

Am I out of date with my roundabout lane discipline, what is being taught these days?

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hymerman

yes you are out of date just like me? the new way of driving that is being taught is called pass as many cars as possible whenever possible and two fingers to anyone who does not let you passed is the recognised hand signal of dissapointment.

roundabouts are for overtaking only as is the outside lane of a dual carrageway when approaching road works and all vehicles in the inside lane are expected to give way when the roads merge.

the practice of keeping to the correct lane as you describe is called common sense and courtesy and is unfourtunatly sadly lacking in these drivers.

however if you drive though west yorkshire and see a blue lorry blocking this manovure and the driver is a big baldheaded bloke with a cig in his mouth it will probably be ME?.

colin

 

[colin-yorkshire]

oh and by the way I never mentioned anything about it being lit before anyone jumps in with size 12 wellies

 

[Steve L]

I'm afraid these days people don't have a scooby doo how to drive.

If you are approaching a roundabout and there is no vehicle infront of you, you are suposed to use the nearside lane ( lane being the operative word) to circumnavigate the roundabout. However if the vehicle infront is turning left then you can use the off side lane.

What I see everytime is some pratt tacking the "racing line" and cutting across both lanes, often forcing the vehicle in the right hand lane to take evasive action thus resulting in the "winston churchill" salute.

Steve L.

 

[Happy-Lappy]

Hymerman and Colin, I have always been made to believe that when approaching a two laned roundabout, then the outside lane should be used for any manouver 12 o'clock and over, the inside lane is for turning left or straight on. If you get offended/worried with the one or two fingered gestures then do as I do, I wear Black shades and just pretend I'm blind, so they normally don't bother,

best regards, Martin

 

[thehoods]

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/17.htm
All is explained in the link above.

 

[hymerman1]

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/17.htm

All is explained in the link above.

Thanks Phil, it is good to be able to see the diagram, I wondered if I had lost the plot

 

[michael_5111967]

Phil

May as well scrap the highwaycode as drivers make their own rules today, including i'm affraid to say driving instructors & the police, so what chance do we stand! i'm sure many drivers out there have never even heard of the book of rules let alone read it. Remmember all roads are SAFE until you start putting drivers on them, Sorry for my attitude but i spend many hours driving LGV'S and have done safely without an accident (touching wood) for the past 24 years but the situation on the roads caused by attitudes of drivers is getting worse by the day. More fully trained Police patrols & much heavier penalties are needed out there but im fear its already too late.Truck driving a thankless job with the driver liable for upto

 

[colin-yorkshire]

how true you are

colin

 

[thehoods]

Micheal.

Totally agree with what you say about the Highway code being scrapped. I only put the link up so that people could see how a roundabout "should" be approached.

Drivers joining a dual carridge way or a motorway is another classic example of drivers making up there own rules. How many times have you been made to break or swerve out of the way of some a***hole who's trying to barge there way in because he/she thinks they've got priority over you. Don't they realise they have to reduce speed and filter in to the flow of traffic, not speed up and cut in front of you. Then you get the reaction of the finger if they are forced to slow down and come in behind you.

And as for police patrols, I drove from Essex too Newcastle-upon-Tyne and back, a good 600 miles round trip and only saw one of them!

That's my rant over with today.

Phil.

 

[Cathryn1]

What should you do if you miss your exit and want to continue round the island.

This happened to us. We were in the near side lane on the island, kept idicating right - no one would let us into the offside lane so we had to carry on travelling in the nearside.

 

[rayc]

hymerman, the problem can be confounded by the ineptitude of the Highways Agency. On the dual carriagway west bound A31 at Tricketts Cross there is a roundabout. It is straight on for Poole (A348) and right turn for Dorchester and the west (A31).

The Highways agency has painted A31 / A348 in the inside lane and A31 on outside lane. Thus straight on traffic must use the inside lane whilst turn right traffic can use either lane. There are no signs indicating this only the signs posted on the road surface which normally are obscured with cars waiting to enter the roundabout. I have seen numerous near misses where car going straight on get into the outside lane and cut across vehicles using the inside lane to turn right.

The speed limit was reduced to 50mph last year - what a farce.