Roundabouts - indicating right and going straight on

[spikep]

On a normal 4 entry roundabout, I’ve been seeing a tendency for cars to go in the nearside lane and indicate right and then left to leave on the second exit. I know lorries in France do this all the time as l see it on the back roads to Le Mans.

Is this an advanced driver taught thing or are they just trying to stop people moving to the side of them?

[7mike]

Nothing remotely 'advanced' about it. I once trained an old fella who told me all about a road rage incident he'd been involved in. Whilst the incident is no excuse for the actions of the other driver it became apparent that this old fella always indicated right, and then left when going straight ahead. Clearly, the impatient driver to his left had moved off assuming the old guy was turning right and got rather miffed when they both tried to share the same space on exiting the roundabout.

I'd suggest it's just another example of drivers assuming their 'belts & braces' approach actually increases risk; just like always stopping at junctions 'just in case something's coming'.

[NS66]

I periodically notice some doing this - not many HGV's mind they dont indicate!!

I tend to give a wide birth as although they are indicating have no idea of their intentions. seems to me there logic if they are going onto an island and travelling clockwise so indicate right or to show they are not turning 1st Exit?

It mystifies me though!!

[Second Best]

Everywhere's different, of course, but in my experience, I live off a road where most cars are turning left (on a 4-way roundabout), but a lot of them don't indicate. It's a relatively well-sighted roundabout on a 40mph road, so having to slam the brakes on only to see a dozy driver turn left without indicating winds up a lot of people. Hence, there are a fair few drivers (myself included) that indicate right if I'm going straight over, just to make sure the other drivers know that I can use an indicator and that I'm actually going to use the roundabout.

At least twice a week I'll see someone pull out on a car that isn't indicating and is actually going straight over, I guess the uptake in indicator usage is to prevent that from happening.

I still stop for any car that isn't indicating, just in case, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get mildly irritated when I've hit the brakes just to see someone stop at the roundabout and then turn left, in their own little world.

[Zero Fuchs]

I live near MK and see just about everything (in a bad way). Amazing how something so simple causes so many problems.

I saw this just last night oddly enough. Left lane, right hand signal. I thought to myself, "here we go, numpty going all the way round in lane 1" but to my surprise they passed the first exit and then indicated left to go straight on.

Although with so many visitors, MK is a nightmare if you're a newbie so they could've been lost.

The only time I'll indicate incorrectly on a roundabout is at a three junction one where I'll indicate left to go straight on. This often helps oncoming traffic to maintain flow.

[Mave]

Second Best said:

Everywhere's different, of course, but in my experience, I live off a road where most cars are turning left (on a 4-way roundabout), but a lot of them don't indicate. It's a relatively well-sighted roundabout on a 40mph road, so having to slam the brakes on only to see a dozy driver turn left without indicating winds up a lot of people. Hence, there are a fair few drivers (myself included) that indicate right if I'm going straight over, just to make sure the other drivers know that I can use an indicator and that I'm actually going to use the roundabout.

At least twice a week I'll see someone pull out on a car that isn't indicating and is actually going straight over, I guess the uptake in indicator usage is to prevent that from happening.

I still stop for any car that isn't indicating, just in case, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get mildly irritated when I've hit the brakes just to see someone stop at the roundabout and then turn left, in their own little world.

If you need to slam on your brakes to avoid someone who might be going across a roundabout - maybe approach the roundabout more slowly?

[Muzzer79]

I was always told that indicating right on a roundabout to go straight on was a very old fashioned technique, now considered outdated.

I see it a few times. If they’re in the correct lane, it’s just confusing to other road users.
If they’re in the wrong lane, it’s just bad driving.

[5s Alive]

Zero Fuchs said:

The only time I'll indicate incorrectly on a roundabout is at a three junction one where I'll indicate left to go straight on. This often helps oncoming traffic to maintain flow.

Unless I'm misreading this you should always indicate before you take the first exit unless you're the only road user present and there's no one to benefit from the signal - not sure my observations are so good that that I wouldn't miss someone who might benefit from indicating though.

I'm in red - met a roundabout straightliner here yesterday, in torrential rain,Transit cut across circa 30+ mph without slowing at all and when going 270° after exiting the city bypass your view is quite restricted and at that speed indicating would have no time to either confuse or inform anyone. You can see from the tyre tracks that most cut straight across, just not usually without slowing down at all! Had I just rolled out like many do we'd have been t- boned. Anywhere near the Edinburgh City bypass is a bit crazy these days.

[Pica-Pica]

Muzzer79 said:

I was always told that indicating right on a roundabout to go straight on was a very old fashioned technique, now considered outdated.

I see it a few times. If they’re in the correct lane, it’s just confusing to other road users.
If they’re in the wrong lane, it’s just bad driving.

Never heard of that method of indicating.

[Pica-Pica]

Zero Fuchs said:

…The only time I'll indicate incorrectly on a roundabout is at a three junction one where I'll indicate left to go straight on. This often helps oncoming traffic to maintain flow.

I agree, and I do that, but it’s not ‘indicating incorrectly’; you are advising the oncoming traffic that you ar leaving the roundabout (and thus, they can be ready to enter).

[Zero Fuchs]

5s Alive said:

Zero Fuchs said:

The only time I'll indicate incorrectly on a roundabout is at a three junction one where I'll indicate left to go straight on. This often helps oncoming traffic to maintain flow.

Unless I'm misreading this you should always indicate before you take the first exit unless you're the only road user present and there's no one to benefit from the signal - not sure my observations are so good that that I wouldn't miss someone who might benefit from indicating though.

I'm in red - met a roundabout straightliner here yesterday, in torrential rain,Transit cut across circa 30+ mph without slowing at all and when going 270° after exiting the city bypass your view is quite restricted and at that speed indicating would have no time to either confuse or inform anyone. You can see from the tyre tracks that most cut straight across, just not usually without slowing down at all! Had I just rolled out like many do we'd have been t- boned. Anywhere near the Edinburgh City bypass is a bit crazy these days.

Sorry I should've been more clear. I was talking about three junction roundabouts where you have junctions at 3, 6 and 12 o'clock. Typically mini roundabouts but not exclusively.

If entering at 6 and exiting at 12 you're effectively going straight ahead so the general rule is that you don't need to indicate on approach. However I do so if it benefits oncoming traffic. Not many people do it seems but like I say, to me it's the exception where I'd indicate to go straight on.

It's an odd one as you'd normally indicate once you've passed the first exit but seeing as there isn't one and often these are mini roundabouts then signalling when on the roundabout is too late.

[5s Alive]

Roundabouts present some of the poorest driving on display nowadays and indicating (or not) seems to be the least of it. Worst offenders in my view are those who join at speed regardless of layout, traffic or conditions.

[Pica-Pica]

Zero Fuchs said:

5s Alive said:

Zero Fuchs said:

The only time I'll indicate incorrectly on a roundabout is at a three junction one where I'll indicate left to go straight on. This often helps oncoming traffic to maintain flow.

Unless I'm misreading this you should always indicate before you take the first exit unless you're the only road user present and there's no one to benefit from the signal - not sure my observations are so good that that I wouldn't miss someone who might benefit from indicating though.

I'm in red - met a roundabout straightliner here yesterday, in torrential rain,Transit cut across circa 30+ mph without slowing at all and when going 270° after exiting the city bypass your view is quite restricted and at that speed indicating would have no time to either confuse or inform anyone. You can see from the tyre tracks that most cut straight across, just not usually without slowing down at all! Had I just rolled out like many do we'd have been t- boned. Anywhere near the Edinburgh City bypass is a bit crazy these days.

Sorry I should've been more clear. I was talking about three junction roundabouts where you have junctions at 3, 6 and 12 o'clock. Typically mini roundabouts but not exclusively.

If entering at 6 and exiting at 12 you're effectively going straight ahead so the general rule is that you don't need to indicate on approach. However I do so if it benefits oncoming traffic. Not many people do it seems but like I say, to me it's the exception where I'd indicate to go straight on.

It's an odd one as you'd normally indicate once you've passed the first exit but seeing as there isn't one and often these are mini roundabouts then signalling when on the roundabout is too late.

I understood you, although mine is a large roundabout.

[Zero Fuchs]

Agreed. The ones that get me are the "it's my right of way" brigade who think they can launch themselves into an unsighted roundabout irrespective.

I don't commute now thankfully but there used to be a few on my way to work where you had no visibility of the traffic entering from the right. So you had to join when you could see it was clear but was impossible to spot someone approaching at 40mph. Yet they'd invariably be the ones on the horn screaming

Pointless trying to tell them that they don't have right of way if someone's already on the roundabout.

[Pica-Pica]

My example. Points A & B are 180 degrees apart, C is the third road off the roundabout (it was a previous T junction). For the benefit of the car at A, when I am approaching from B, I would indicate before the car position seen at D, so that car at A can be assured I am not going round to C (yellow arrow). If you follow the street view further, car at D does in fact proceed in the direction of the red arrow. The split is about 50/50 going round at C and going straight on (A). Quite a number, as I do, indicate to go from B to A directions.

Note, that the camera viewpoint is higher than normal driver’s viewpoint, and the roundabout is a raised grassed hump and frequently left to grow long and wild.

[Yahonza]

There's a challenging 4 junction roundabout that I indicate right at, when in the inside lane going ahead and only on one of the exits. The poster above might know it - Calder Road / Broomhouse. The traffic approaching on the left it a bit unsighted as the council have decided to put a hedge down the middle of the dual carriageway. So I'll tap the indicator to let them know I'm coming in their direction. The other 3 approaches are up hill to the r'bout and there is an odd camber on it as well.

It's pretty much the only roundabout where I do this and it's all about letting other drivers know what I'm doing.

[Yahonza]

There's a challenging 4 junction roundabout that I indicate right at, when in the inside lane going ahead and only on one of the exits. The poster above might know it - Calder Road / Broomhouse. The traffic approaching on the left it a bit unsighted as the council have decided to put a hedge down the middle of the dual carriageway. So I'll tap the indicator to let them know I'm coming in their direction. The other 3 approaches are up hill to the r'bout and there is an odd camber on it as well.

It's pretty much the only roundabout where I do this and it's all about letting other drivers know what I'm doing.

Edited by Yahonza on Saturday 19th November 18:21

[5s Alive]

Yahonza said:

The poster above might know it - Calder Road / Broomhouse.

Edited by Yahonza on Saturday 19th November 18:21

Lol, yes know it all too well and "Sighthill" is hardly the most appropriate name for it.

[Yahonza]

5s Alive said:

Lol, yes know it all too well and "Sighthill" is hardly the most appropriate name for it.

That's the one. There are another 2 that are equally hazardous - the one to Wester Hailes where car drivers and lorries come together on a regular basis.

[Sheepshanks]

5s Alive said:

....

I'm in red - met a roundabout straightliner here yesterday, in torrential rain,Transit cut across circa 30+ mph without slowing at all and when going 270° after exiting the city bypass your view is quite restricted and at that speed indicating would have no time to either confuse or inform anyone. You can see from the tyre tracks that most cut straight across, just not usually without slowing down at all! Had I just rolled out like many do we'd have been t- boned. Anywhere near the Edinburgh City bypass is a bit crazy these days.

I'd imagine a big hazard there (from the red arrow) if you're trying to roll out is suddenly seeing a vehicle from the right, slamming on and then being rear ended by the car behind you!

There's a roundabout near me that gets straight-lined in a very similar way - however it doesn't have the 3 O'clock exit and what makes it worse is it's extremely unusual for cars to turn right from the red arrow so you've got to be super-careful if doing it.