Roundab....oops!

[602]

Hi,

I don't know where I was, apart from it being somewhere halfway down Wales. I pulled into a petrol station, to refuel. On leaving the service station, I found I was very close to a roundabout, with the road signs behind me. So I join the roundabout, and start to circumnavigate, with my near-side close to the kerb. No signals, cos I don't know which exit I'm going to take, until I find a sign telling me. First exit? Nope, thats not it! Second exit? Nope thats not it!
Sacre blue! About 3500kg of MGW passes me at about 20mph above my speed, and turns into the exit that I had just decided that I didn't want ..... right across my bows. A frantic stab at my brake pedal averted a collision. If I don't know where I'm going, what right did he have to think that he knew?
This is not an uncommon ocurance, but its the closest I've been to making contact. Usually, they guess right, and there is no problem. But when I am lined up to pass somebody as I exit a roundabout, I hold back, just in case they are going to continue round.

Am I the only one who does this? I also check my nearside mirror to see if anyone has assumed that I am going to continue around. So far nobody has been up my inside, but if anybody was there, I would endevour to give them room ..... and probably collect the car that is lined up to overtake me. You can't win!

602

 

[JohnGriffiths]

Sorry to hear of your experience, but it doesn't surprise me. No-one seems to bother signalling anymore on roundabouts and a lot of people just seem to treat them as an overtaking (or undertaking) opportunity. I mention undertaking because I recently had to go twice around a large 4 lane roundabout because of idiots squeezing up the inside in an effort to pass even though all the lanes were clearly marked on both the road surface and signs.

 

[RickStevens]

That must have been a real scary experience.

I also hang back when exiting for the same reasons, and I also check my nearside mirror, there are so many idiots on the road these days.

At junctions, roundabouts, and in fact anywhere where there is no option but to carry straight on, I adopt the approach that the other people in my close proximity are going to do something stupid, and I prepare accordingly. Its bad enough keeping tabs on the halfwit drivers when driving solo, let alone with a caravan on the back.

 

[JonnyG]

Err sorry but it must be me again going around roundabouts that are clearly large enough for two car abreast in the inside lane,ie exit lane, exit after exit after exit,is clearly dangerous.
..............

 

[RickStevens]

Jonny, Yes I agree, but surely if you were taking the next exit off a roundabout, you would slot in behind the car in front of you, not cut across the front of it?

 

[JonnyG]

Makes sense rick,but the description of the roundabout makes it sound like a good size one,some of these have two lanes at the exit with the outer one only having a short run before two lanes become one.Was this that type of roundabout? in which case the car was perfectly entitled to do what it did,being as the poster had no idea of the roundabout layout he was ill advised to drive on the left exit after exit after exit,as he would have no way of knowing if any of the exits were indeed a two lane exit for car both kerbside and off side.
In a case like that any accident would have been the posters fault.

 

[JohnGriffiths]

I disagree that it would have been the posters fault. If on a two lane roundabout you are going straight on then it would be right to use the left hand lane. This means you would pass the first exit without leaving. So how can it be OK for someone to overtake and cut across car doing this when the driver has no idea whether the other car will leave at that junction or not? Even if I saw the car on the inside signal to leave I would still drive defensively, I would not overtake and place myself across the bows of another car.

 

[Steve L]

The two basic problems with roundabouts and people today is that they:-
Don't know how to signal effectively or even at all.

People also take no notice of lane markings and take "the racing line" ie, cut the rounabout up as straight as possible.

One other fundamental failing is the good old driving test.
30 years ago you were taught to use both right and left lanes to go straight on, now todat it's use left lane only. But what the DSA Driving standards agencey fail to do is bring the "experienced " or "seasoned" drivers up to speed with todays teachings.

Then of cause you get the could'nt give a **** brigade.

So unfortunately it's down to every driver to use their mirrors and signals effectively and treat everyone else as complete morons who will do any stupid manouver concievable.
Today you need ESP, eyes in the back of your head, another set in each ear and the patience of a saint to avoid the plonkers on the roads.

We have a cross road between Eardisland and Leominster where people miss 11 warning signs of the junction and that it's not their right of way. But still once or twice a month there are RTA's caused by blind idiots.

 

[JonnyG]

I disagree that it would have been the posters fault. If on a two lane roundabout you are going straight on then it would be right to use the left hand lane. This means you would pass the first exit without leaving. So how can it be OK for someone to overtake and cut across car doing this when the driver has no idea whether the other car will leave at that junction or not? Even if I saw the car on the inside signal to leave I would still drive defensively, I would not overtake and place myself across the bows of another car.

If you read the original post again, he clearly states that he passed TWO exits off the roundabout and not just one.
Now if their are no road markings and the roundabout is wide enough for two cars to travel side by side I wouldn't expect the natural line for the roundabout to be to hug the leftside to pass 2 junctions.Worse still if there were road markings for going around that roundabout, the chances are you would not be following the road markings/lanes as advised by staying left again passing at least two exits.
So ok we don't know for sure exactly what type of roundabout we are talking about, but if it was a straight forward 4 exit type of average proportions, and therefore only one lane then i would say it would have been difficult for an idiot to overtake an outfit and cut it up.