Which lane is correct?
Discussion
Hello all,
I was driving out of town yesterday and encountered this roundabout. I needed to take the exit for Barnard Castle (A688) (third exit, 1pm). Left lane is marked left and straight ahead, right lane is marked right only.
I posted this on a learner driver forum (not a learner but seemed a good place to ask) and got mixed responses. One driving instructor said that the Highway Code states to use the most appropriate lane for intermediate exits like this, and so whilst technically either lane is correct, the right lane is the best option as worst case scenario you can just go back around the roundabout if somebody is blocking your exit to the left, whereas if you’re in the left lane and somebody cuts you off from the right you have nowhere to go. He also said that being in the left lane might cause a car to pull out on you as they will be expecting you to take the first or second exit and not the third. However another driving instructor said the left lane is correct, as 1pm would still be counted as straight ahead. He also said the first exit is only a “minor exit” (as shown by the small line on the roundabout sign), and so technically this can be disregarded, making the Barnard Castle (A688) exit the second exit.
Other responses (not from instructors) included:
•The left lane is correct, as the thick line on the roundabout sign shows that the A688 is the continuation of the road, and therefore straight ahead
•The right lane is correct, as the exit is 1pm so it is a right turn
•The left lane is correct, as 1pm is closer to 12pm than to 3pm
•Third exit therefore right lane
As it stands, I opted for the left lane, but proceeded slowly to allow the two cars to the right of me to get ahead, so that I wouldn’t be cutting anybody off if I was wrong. However my girlfriend was in the passenger seat, and said she would be in the right lane as it’s 1pm and third exit, and she’s had her license longer than me (6 months vs 5 years).
Sorry if this is the wrong section, but since there was a divided opinion among driving instructors I thought I would ask advanced drivers. The roundabout itself is Coundon Gate.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/Ht21X8am[/url]
I was driving out of town yesterday and encountered this roundabout. I needed to take the exit for Barnard Castle (A688) (third exit, 1pm). Left lane is marked left and straight ahead, right lane is marked right only.
I posted this on a learner driver forum (not a learner but seemed a good place to ask) and got mixed responses. One driving instructor said that the Highway Code states to use the most appropriate lane for intermediate exits like this, and so whilst technically either lane is correct, the right lane is the best option as worst case scenario you can just go back around the roundabout if somebody is blocking your exit to the left, whereas if you’re in the left lane and somebody cuts you off from the right you have nowhere to go. He also said that being in the left lane might cause a car to pull out on you as they will be expecting you to take the first or second exit and not the third. However another driving instructor said the left lane is correct, as 1pm would still be counted as straight ahead. He also said the first exit is only a “minor exit” (as shown by the small line on the roundabout sign), and so technically this can be disregarded, making the Barnard Castle (A688) exit the second exit.
Other responses (not from instructors) included:
•The left lane is correct, as the thick line on the roundabout sign shows that the A688 is the continuation of the road, and therefore straight ahead
•The right lane is correct, as the exit is 1pm so it is a right turn
•The left lane is correct, as 1pm is closer to 12pm than to 3pm
•Third exit therefore right lane
As it stands, I opted for the left lane, but proceeded slowly to allow the two cars to the right of me to get ahead, so that I wouldn’t be cutting anybody off if I was wrong. However my girlfriend was in the passenger seat, and said she would be in the right lane as it’s 1pm and third exit, and she’s had her license longer than me (6 months vs 5 years).
Sorry if this is the wrong section, but since there was a divided opinion among driving instructors I thought I would ask advanced drivers. The roundabout itself is Coundon Gate.
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