Finding the right way ’round — a lesson in navigating British roundabouts

by Anton Prole, Wiltshire, England

I wrote briefly in ITN about navigating Britain’s roundabouts (Aug. ’05, pg. 74), mentioning that a well-known travel writer had wrongly advised, “. . . if you don’t know which route to take, you just go around again and again until your navigator has sorted which exit to take.” That advice, although given with good intent, is incorrect and ill conceived.

The same advice was repeated in a reader’s letter in the November ’05 issue (page 93). I spoke to the writer of the letter and found that she was referring to very large traffic islands, the sort you find at main highway interchanges, not the usual roundabouts to which my comments referred. “I didn’t know there was a difference,” she said.

I would like to take this opportunity to explain the differences between roundabouts and traffic islands in Britain and give some hints on how to safely navigate each.

First, I should explain that in Britain we drive on the left-hand side of the road and, due to the very heavy volume of traffic, motorists have a totally different driving technique to those in most other countries.

As a general rule, we encourage driver eye contact and communication and are highly aware of other drivers’ anticipated moves. We use turn indicators more religiously than others do, and we regularly indicate to other drivers with a hand motion, for example (either out the window or seen through the windshield), if we are letting them into a traffic queue or confirming a turn signal. We always acknowledge other drivers who have given way to us with a brief courtesy wave rather than just drive past as though the kind driver were invisible.

Now, roundabouts can vary from being a clearly marked but simple, 3-foot-in-diameter white spot painted on the road at a junction to a 15-foot-in-diameter “dais” constructed of concrete, often with a flower bed, trees or shrubs in the center of it. Sometimes the smallest of roundabouts is referred to as a “mini-roundabout.” Some medium and small roundabouts have a raised center piece to prevent motorists from driving straight across the roundabout at speed, but this is not very effective.

It is the medium, or standard, roundabout and the very small mini-roundabout at which it is totally unacceptable to continuously drive around and around. Take comfort that if you miss your turn, there is usually a place where you can turn within a few hundred yards of the standard traffic island/roundabout, which can be found on any of the “A” or “B” class roads both in towns and in the countryside.

A large traffic island or roundabout can measure anywhere from 30 to 1,000 feet in diameter. (Some have traffic lights to assist with traffic movement during peak periods, while others at very busy junctions are permanently traffic-light controlled.) They are located at major intersections and are usually oval in shape.

These traffic islands are so large that you can spend the whole of your holiday driving around them and nobody would notice or miss you. This is the type of “roundabout” that the above-mentioned reader had in mind when she suggested you can go around and around.

In reference to this sort of traffic island or roundabout, she was right in saying that if the incorrect exit is chosen, there are occasions when you may have to drive for a few miles before you can turn off the main highway and retrace your steps. Although it is bad driving practice, if you really think you have absolutely no alternative but to go around again and again, you can do so — but only on these very large-sized traffic islands and roundabouts at main interchanges, providing you keep in the right-hand lane (that is, the lane nearest to the center of the island) until you are ready to make your exit.

Incidentally, with the exception of “one-way streets,” a carriageway (highway) is divided into two lanes, one in each direction. A dual-carriageway comprises four lanes, two lanes in each direction, divided by a central barrier between the carriageways. A motorway (main highway) has three or more lanes in either direction.

Sometimes on a major roadway — and always at motorway interchanges — the opposing lanes of north/south or east/west lanes are kept well apart from each other for safety reasons.

That explains the subtle and not-so-subtle differences in roundabouts and traffic islands. Now here are some guidelines to help you confidently and safely drive through them.

Roundabouts were introduced as an alternative to traffic lights, and their major benefit is that, providing motorists follow the rules, they keep traffic moving. However, roundabouts only work if the traffic keeps on moving, and in order for that to happen, drivers must be very attentive and aware of both where they are going and what other drivers are doing.

Negotiating roundabouts and traffic islands will not be a daunting task so long as you follow these simple rules.

1. Know in advance which exit you intend to take.

This is the number-one rule. Your route should be planned in advance, even if it’s just in one’s mind, and the “navigator” should be looking at the road signs. Signs in Britain are very comprehensive, placed well in advance of junctions and easy to read, so there really is no excuse for not knowing where you are going when you reach a roundabout.

I cannot emphasise enough that it is unacceptable to circle a roundabout while deciding which exit to take. This is dangerous because other motorists will not be expecting it. If a driver does this, traffic is blocked and everything comes to a standstill until the driver going around and around leaves. The other frustrated drivers then are left to their own devices, often leading to a “Mexican standoff” situation.

2. On approaching a roundabout, slow down and be prepared to stop but don’t stop automatically.

You go around a roundabout in a clockwise direction and signal left as you pass the exit just before the one you want to take. The rule is that you give way to traffic already in the roundabout or approaching from your right unless you have sufficient time to proceed without causing any of the vehicles approaching from your right to brake or deviate from their natural course.

In simple terms (and if you know your vehicle), after having weighed everything up in your mind, if you feel you have time to clear the roundabout without causing another driver to brake or deviate from his course, then go for it.

Bear in mind that those approaching from other directions will be keeping an eye out for someone to pull out unexpectedly, just as you, the perfect driver you are, will also be doing.

3. Indicate properly and well in advance which exit you intend to take.

Other motorists need a little help from you to know where you are going so that they can either stop, give way to you or proceed unimpeded. To get from the street you’re on to another, if you intend to turn right or left at a roundabout you must signal your intention as you approach it and get into the correct lane. The only time you do not signal when approaching a roundabout is when you intend to go “straight on.”

Rest assured that all roundabouts except mini-roundabouts have two lanes. Even on a single carriageway, as the roundabout is approached the single lane widens into two in order to facilitate vehicle movement. On a 3-lane dual carriageway or main highway, at the roundabout the left lane is used by traffic turning left, the center lane by traffic going straight on, and the right lane by traffic turning right.

Regarding when and how to use your turn signal, I will try to explain with a few scenarios.

A. Let’s say you are approaching a 4-junction roundabout at what is effectively a crossroads and you wish to turn right onto another street.

While signaling “right,” you should move to the right-hand lane. When clear to do so, you enter the roundabout and remain in the right-hand lane (nearest the center) until you have passed exit 2, that is, the exit for going straight ahead. As you pass exit 2, you change your turn indicator from right to left and move to the far-left-hand lane ready to leave at exit 3. By first remaining in the right-hand lane, you allow vehicles approaching from exit 1 (on your left) to pull onto the roundabout and take exit 2 unimpeded.

B. If you approach a roundabout but are going straight on, you remain in the left-hand lane and enter the roundabout without signaling, but immediately after you have passed the first exit (exit 1) you signal left.

C. Now let’s say that as you approach the crossroads, your intention is to take the first exit from its roundabout, effectively turning left at quarter-to-nine.

As you approach, you signal “left” and a driver (in car A) following you, who intends turning right, sees your signal and pulls up beside you (to your right). You both note another car (car B) approaching from your right within the roundabout. This car will be indicating “right‚” which confirms that you and car A have to give way to him.

As car B approaches your entrance to the roundabout, its driver changes his signal to blink left, thereby confirming he intends taking the same exit as you. You are still indicating left, and when car B has passed in front of you, you pull forward and proceed left. Car A, on your right, will also have pulled away (and continued around the roundabout).

You and the driver of car B who passed in front of you should still be clearly indicating left so that any traffic waiting to enter the roundabout from the first exit has advance warning that it is clear for them to enter the roundabout unimpeded.

I have kept things simple in these examples by discussing crossroads, but there are countless roundabouts with just three exits and others with five, six or more exits. The driving principle remains the same regardless of the number of exits the roundabout has.

4. When approaching a roundabout, NEVER be tempted to take your eyes off the car in front of you to check for vehicles approaching from your right, that is, not until the car in front of you has actually entered the junction or has stopped to wait for traffic approaching from the right.

5. Always make sure your path is clear before pulling forward into the roundabout.

Don’t guess or assume it is clear; LOOK and LOOK again. If a vehicle is in front of you, be sure it is actually entering the roundabout and is on its way before you move forward.

6. In all cases, and at all times, drive positively and be hyperalert. Do not hesitate at the approach to a roundabout, and do not stop unnecessarily.

I repeat, you need only stop if a vehicle is approaching from your right and you do not have time to proceed without causing the other driver to brake or deviate from his natural course.

Accidents regularly happen when a vehicle, followed by others, approaches a roundabout and then stops unnecessarily. (Often, drivers underestimate the speed of approaching vehicles or they misjudge distances, which makes it necessary for them to brake very sharply at the last minute.) The drivers who are following, having checked to their right and seeing that it is obviously clear to proceed, are not expecting the leader to stop, and when he does they are then forced to slam on the brakes at the last minute. The inevitable ping-pong shunt then occurs and everyone’s day is spoilt.

To see the correct way of negotiating a roundabout, log on to the animated website www.2pass.co.uk/roundabout.htm or www.britishtourplans.com/roundabout.php; make sure you have your sound on. The animation shows roundabouts on 2- and 3-lane roads, but the same principal applies regardless of the number of lanes, be it one or six.

Here are a few more tips for anyone new to driving in Britain.

• If a visitor to any country decides to hire a car and drive himself (or herself), it is his responsibility to ensure that he is conversant with the regulations and driving practices of that country.

Anyone considering driving in Great Britain or Northern Ireland is advised to study a book called “The Highway Code.” Published by the British government, it explains the rules of the road and gives advice on all aspects of driving. All learner drivers in Britain have to study this as part of their driving test.

“The Highway Code” (ISBN 0-11-552698-6) can be purchased directly from The Stationery Office (P.O. Box 29, Norwich, NR3 1GN, U.K.; tel. 011448 706 005 522, fax 011 448 706 005 533 or visit book.orders@tso.co.uk). The price is £1.99 (about $3.50) plus postage/handling. (Persons from outside the U.K. must pay by debit card or credit card, unless they send a check made out in pounds sterling and drawn on a U.K. bank. Anyone wanting a copy of the book should phone, fax or e-mail to place an order.)

The text itself can be found online at www.highwaycode.gov.uk. In particular, see the section on roundabouts at www.highwaycode.gov.uk/17.htm#160.

• If you have not driven in Britain before, you may wish to collect your rental vehicle from a location less busy than the airport of arrival, thereby eliminating the “baptism by fire” that picking up the car immediately on arrival can involve.

• Another wise move would be to employ the services of a qualified driver in Britain to meet you at the airport and drive you to your hire car pickup point. The driver will be pleased to give a “driving lesson” en route to your picking up the car, explaining the intricacies of multiple junctions as well as roundabouts.

• Those individuals who are extremely pensive about driving in Britain should consider enlisting the aid of one of the driver-guide companies that advertise in ITN. For one person receiving one-to-one service, this can prove expensive, but for a group of three to six people it can cost less than taking a large group bus tour.

Anton Prole is the owner of Midway Motor Travel, Southerwicks, Corsham, Wiltshire, England, SN13 9NH.