Roundabouts

Knowing the correct way to approach the many different types of roundabouts does take some thinking about and is often the cause of much confusion for the novice rider. There can be a lot to think about in a seemingly short space of time, everything from lane selection and discipline to when and where to use signals and observations need to be mastered. Fortunately, at Lightning we have distilled some basic principles such as our Roundabout Rules and Observations teaching resource cards to make these confusing topics easy to understand and then apply.

However, as a basic rule of thumb you should apply the following:

• Read the direction signs and plan where you want to go as early as possible.
• Look at the road markings to establish which lane is appropriate for your choice of exit.
• If the roundabout is a mini-roundabout (look for the sign), then treat it like a crossroads in terms of signals and observations.
• If it is a normal roundabout then the first exit is always a left turn and the last exit always a right turn. Everything in between is either straight ahead or possibly another right turn.
• If the roundabout has traffic lights on it then there is a good chance that the lanes will “spiral” (i.e. move out) as you go around.
• You should aim to indicate left at the exit before the one you want to take showing your intention to leave the roundabout.
• Observations/lifesavers need to be in the direction of potential danger. More often than not this either the lane you want to move into, or where another lane is merging into yours.
• Care should be taken not to cross lanes without first observing to see it is safe.
• Where there are no lanes you need to imagine the width of car and be aware that other road users may fill car sized gaps – so check accordingly.