Wellingborough. I know that junction well and I think you were expecting that vehicle to stay on the dual-carriageway down to Tescos, because that's what the vast majority of traffic will do there. It's not clear where the Mercedes came from, but if it was the exit from the A45, then the road markings there might have caused some confusion. It's marked for both lanes to go ahead, which I think is meaning the A509 down past Tescos. However, that turn is just past the 12 o'clock and seems more like a right turn. So, the Mercedes driver might have thought lane 2 could be used to head up the road you took, past KFC.
Yes, I was nearly taken out on a big roundabout because of this, I was doing it absolutely perfectly liking this video, taking a right turn, and then sliding over to the left to come off at my exes, indicators on and everything, and this car comes out onto the roundabout, nearly crashed into me, and I can see them in the car gesticulating and screaming, as if the problem was me!
@@rainchains5306 If you watch CZcams dashcam channels (guilty!), multilane and mini roundabouts seem to feature heavily. I really think the Highway Code needs a bit of an update to clarify a few bits surrounding roundabout etiquette, as there seems to be a lot of confusion on a number of issues, such as: - pedestrians crossing entries/exits - lane discipline when turning right (the issue you describe) - overtaking - extent of priority to the right - lane discipline going ahead (particularly where two lanes merge back into one)
The fact that the viewer even sent that in is worrying, hopefully this will help them see the errors of their ways.On a side note I have noticed that drivers who tend to shout and scream about other road users are the ones who make the most errors. Gread video as always and fingers crossed this will reach someone who needs it.
You see it quite a lot on other dash cam compilations where the noisiest are the ones that contributed the most in the situation, usually by accelerating towards the danger and braking late and hard to “prove a point of inconvenience” 🤦♂️
@@smilerbob I think reflecting on the why a conversation I had with my dad last night kind of showed a but of insight. My Dad has driven through most of the UK and lots of Europe, he is a experienced driver, he still gets road rage, he'll sit there and speed up and shout at other drivers, I said to him why don't you relax and just make it a none event like Ashley says. He replies "because I hate bullies, I hate people who try to push out and try to intimidate me", what that shows to me is that it's a certain mindset, that they see there car as a extension of themselves, that any slight on the road is seen as a slight against them. I think that's why they shout and scream and drive so aggressively because they see that the other driver has slighted them and see that as a slight of themselves. Instead they need to slip out of monkey brain, the most primal part and see what effect their action is and realise that rarely is a slight a deliberate attack but that by you reacting in a aggressive manner you are making the situation worse and finally that the car is not a extension of you it's a box with wheels, a pice of machinery that you operate completely with a neutral mindsight focusing on creating a safe environment for everyone, I wouldn't operate a chainsaw angry so why would I do so in a car?
I’m actually so glad you’ve covered this! I always feel bad waiting for both lanes to be clear because I sometimes get pressure from behind to just go when there’s a space. But it makes total sense that a car turning right would slide into the outside lane to exit Cus that’s what we’re taught to do in our lessons!
It is a well known feeling that one and is why sports people will use a delaying tactic in high pressure situations, like a penalty kick in football (or soccer for our American friends). The waiting builds anxiety and pressure to the point we rush and make a mistake. Best thing I can recommend is ignore any pressure from behind and if needed, take a deep breath in and slow release out. It will calm the heart rate and reduce the anxiety/ pressure 👍 Take care out there everyone, ‘tis a mad world sometimes
That is exactly the reason I love the Turbo roundabouts. A lot more clearer where people are going. People tend to drive slower on them (despite the name). You can go from the inner lane to the exit. However this is purposely designed. You do not "merge" while doing that as it is a dedicated lane. Traffic going left would also have it own outer lane for going left. The merging is done after the exit if it is not a dual lane road.
These days I don't rush on roundabouts for anyone. With people using wrong lanes and just not indicating, I'll wait until things are unquestionably clear before I go.
My driving teacher actually pressured me to emerge in situations where there were vehicles in lane 2 and it wasn't clear exactly where they were going. He kept saying "there's nobody coming" when that clearly wasn't true. Took me a while to learn that the reason I was scared of roundabouts was that he was constantly telling me to do them incorrectly and unsafely.
Back when I was first learning, I ended up stopping driving lessons for 2 full years because of an instructor like that. She was yelling and shouting at me to go and that I was "being stupid", I was already stressed enough of encountering my first BIG roundabout with faster moving traffic. I held it together during the rest of the lesson, but the moment I got home I broke down crying and sobbing so much, I didn't want to drive again!! I was encouraged for a long while to try again by family, and thankfully found myself with a lovely bloke who had barely any qualms with my driving, he looked forward to my lessons as he didn't feel as if he was on pins gripping his seat with me compared to other learners he had haha. He helped me conquer my fear of roundabouts caused by the previous instructor, and worked up from lesser traffic area roundabouts, then gradually to the more high traffic area roundabouts, which really helped my confidence with using them.
Yes that's happened to me too. I drive a classic car (1972 Hillman Avenger) which is perfectly capable of keeping up with modern traffic, but some drivers seem to have even less patience with a classic car than a modern one, and will beep horns at me just for driving safely.
Patience is a big factor, if someone pulls out or does something not quite right, they may be in a strange place to them, just give room and let it go, we all make mistakes no matter how careful we try to be.
My biggest issue with roundabouts is people that don't indicate their intentions or indicate too late or too early, so I usually mind read other drivers intentions and don't take chances, even if it means I have to hesitate entering a roundabout😂
This is a massive issue where I live, the amount of times I get beeped at or verbally abused because I'm not merging onto a roundabout when both lanes aren't free has just become normal to me 🙄 and the speed people take upto them is crazy! people really need educating
There's a three lane roundabout near me where I often make a detour so that I take the 1st exit, instead of going across. People driving fast on roundabouts can also create problems like this, even if the lanes were clear when you entered.
I don't always wait for both lanes to be clear but a lot has to line up to pull it off. I definitely don't do it out of some sort of (wrong) principle like in your first clip. There are definitely times its safe to do it.
Agree. If you're turning left and the vehicle coming from your (edited) right is clearly going further round the roundabout I will cautiously pull out. Don't rely on a right turn signal though - people often forget to cancel them when they need to exit the roundabout. Road positioning and speed are a better guide. It's still best to wait though, unless it's absolutely clear what they're doing.
There's a sort of car positioning body language you can use which says, "I'm going to stick to lane 2 to let you keep going in lane 1 without having to stop." It sort of contradicts this video but it can work if everyone knows what's happening.
@paulsengupta971 with experience that's what we all use, looking for tell tale signs what people will do and not really rely on signals. Yes you give way to the right, you still have to be aware of who might potentially enter in front of you and adjust by either backing off or sticking to the appropriate lane to allow them to merge safely
I would have thought the golden rule on any roundabout was never to assume other drivers were going to do what they might appear to be going to do, and act accordingly.
Indeed, section 185 says: "watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all". So we should never encroach, overtake, undertake, or ideally, even be alongside other vehicles when we're on a roundabout.
Pretty funny that in the UK our whole road system is a bit predicated on a bunch of people not doing what they're supposed to and everyone else having to account for it
3:03 here in Australia you can’t do this. If you are in the right-hand lane, you must exit onto the right-hand lane (even if there is a left turn immediately after). I was told many times by my driving instructor to turn left when cars are on the roundabout in the right hand lane. In Australia, every two-lane roundabout has two lanes exiting for this very reason, and often the 2 lanes will immediately merge into one, but there will never be just 1 lane exiting a 2-lane roundabout.
I think there's an issue here which I mentioned above, I personally think the instructor here is incorrect as much as his tutelage has helped me and I respect and appreciate the content he puts out. There's no need for a 2nd lane on the exit if it's not going to be used, lane discipline is a thing here in the UK (which isn't used widely but taught lol) and I think everyone is bonkers for essentially ending up in an incorrect lane on the exit. That's why the problems in this video exist, but they aren't promoting correct use.
This isn't quite correct for Australia either, and there are many counterexamples in many states where you need to change lanes to take an exit. The many state laws do all suggest that you can change lanes in a roundabout - especially rule 117 in the versions of the Australian Road Rules (or rule 98 in the Road Traffic Code 2000 in Western Australia).
@@EvoBeard I think there are two main reasons for teaching people to exit in the left-hand lane early: - to discourage undertaking. Impatient drivers will find any opportunity to overtake slower drivers and will even do so even when these drivers are trying to move back into the normal driving position. Drivers are therefore taught to move in early before other drivers are tempted to undertake. - to reduce the chance of gridlock in the roundabout. A good number of roundabouts are next to zebra crossings, crossings with signals and junctions with traffic lights. Stopped traffic has a lesser chance of locking up the roundabout if it is positioned on the outside, as opposed to inside.
Like this video, really informative. Biggest issue on roundabouts I see is when there are multiple lanes all going to one exit but then drivers sweep across into lane 1 from lane 2 before exiting causing the traffic in lane 1 to brake to avoid a collision.
That didn't really get a strong enough mention. Ashley did say, he observes, signals then slides left, but too many skip the observation though laziness or complacency then just signal & slide left through habit. Being prepared to stay in the right lane when exiting creates a little more time, allowing both for those who observe poorly & also those who expect you to be flexible. But in the other position, if you don't pull out, you won't fall foul of somebody else's bad habit.
In NZ, when going straight ahead or turning right at a roundabout the Road Code requires you to exit in the same lane you entered in. Do not 'sweep across' but remain in lane 2 on the exit. Then move left when safe to do so.
The roundabout under the A34 between Abingdon and Marcham is one you have to be really observant emerging as those come round the roundabout can build up quite a bit of speed coming under the A34 so it ends up far from clear if they are inside/outside of the roundabout and where they are heading! Another roundabout topic that could be worthy of your attention Ashley is roundabouts with spiral lane markings - at many (such as A34/M4) there are lots of drivers who either don't notice the spiral or try to ignore it to realign their lane by the next segment/lights.
Thank you for this. I've only watched the intro so far, but you have called me out. I would pull on to that roundabout to turn left if someone was already on the inside of the roundabout indicating right. I've never seen it as an issue when people do it to me. I'll continue with the video now to learn why I shouldn't be doing it.
Hi Ashley, many decades ago, not long after I had started driving cars and vans those vehicles were very slow off the mark compared to the powerful motorbikes I was familiar with, roundabouts were particularly difficult. I quite quickly learned that sensible observation of the traffic from the right on the approach could enable sensible adjustment of my speed to aim for a gap in the traffic and not actually have to stop, this meant that the size of space needed was far less than from stationary. The same also applies when joining carriageways from the slip road, observation and adjustment is essential!. There was a time many years ago that I was saying that actually stopping at a roundabout should incur an automatic fine!, such a waste time and energy!. This strategy is entirely dependent on accurate and reliable judgement and adjustment of speed and requires significant levels of spacial awareness, above all takes time and experience, another example of how education is so much more valuable than blanket application of simplistic rules. Cheers, Richard.
There's a roundabout which I use fairly often that has north south traffic on one main road and east west on another. Mostly vehicles are going straight on from any direction rather than turning onto the other road. Sight lines are good, and generally traffic isn't too heavy. What I've observed is that the traffic keeps flowing on both roads, with cars spacing themselves to use the gaps. It's quite a thing of beauty!
@@paulsengupta971 Hi Paul Sengupta, thank you for this response, it is good to get a positive comment on these channels!, seeing something good for a change!. You do highlight the plain fact that far too many traffic bottlenecks are aggravated by poor road layout and markings. Sixty years ago when I first started to e=see the clever way English A roads markings were applied I was so impressed!. Every road had the same style of markings and signage, dotted white lines of differing interval depending on the conditions ahead, turning to roadside signs then solid white line one side, then both, double, sides then off again at the exit!, every one of then set in a manner that matched the nature of that section of the highway but extraordinarily consistent over the network that does not seems to be possible any more now that we have so many better more 'efficient' ways of management!. Cheers, Richard.
I literally just had an accident yesterday caused by a driver turning right from a left only lane on a roundabout. The coincidence of you covering this is amazing. Glad you covered it!
How was it caused by the driver turning right from a left only lane? Wasn't the cause you failing to give way to that driver? Just because they shouldn't have been there doesn't mean you can emerge in front of them.
This is why Ashley advocates going round in a staggered formation, so if someone does this it doesn't cause a collision. Not always practical, but best to do it whenever possible.
I always found roundabouts stressful when I was learning, and it took me ages to figure out why. This video is a big part of it -- it's part of the 'de facto' / 'de jure' rules of driving, and a lot of people get it wrong. This would've been a very useful lesson at the time, as it helps correct our own errors and understand other people's intentions. So many accidents on roundabouts come down to a handful of things: 1. People assuming they can go side-by-side at all times, not waiting (main bit in this video) 2. People overtaking 3. People switching lanes erratically / panicking / not knowing what to do in certain situations If drivers are cautious, wait for all lanes to be clear before emerging and do not overtake, it gives everyone else a lot more space to correct errors.
In the first clip I think I would lay all the blame on the Audi. Their sole goal was to get around the roundabout as quickly as possible with little regard for safety, it is a road junction after all where we should all be proceeding with caution. At the point the Red Corsa started to pull away the Audi was a long way off, not indicating, and had loads of time to react. Had they been travelling a bit slower there would not have been an incident. PS. Just ordered the replacement for my Golf, it's going for similar reasons to yours :)
100% agree with you, that audi driver seemed to be deliberately bullying his way in to the exit to make a point that he had right of way, had plenty of opportunity to avoid the incident and as you say was going too fast anyway. Should be done for reckless driving, no place for them on the road while they have that ego. Bit of a stretch but I wonder if they did a test for cocaine and what the result was.. Edit Also, insurance would find the Audi driver completely at fault here and if police turned up (and probably would due to the roll/obstruction/injury) a driving without due care and attention charge is realistic. The long and short of it is that the Corsa was on the roundabout for several seconds before the collision and therefore the Audi has no defence. If he wasn't high on coke, I'd bet he was one of those mad dashcam drivers that like to engineer an incident.
I have to agree that most of the blame was the Audi's to bear. 1. Going way too fast 2. Doesn't react to the other car at all The red Corsa perhaps could've waited a bit longer, but the Audi driver was going too fast. If you freeze the video at ~3:46, I don't think the Corsa driver can see the Audi -- it probably looks clear. If the Audi is going even a little slower, it's a non-issue. The Audi driver literally had 5 seconds to observe the Corsa and adjust their speed and/or change into the left lane. Ultimately, if the Audi had been going slower I don't think this would've happened. *edit - as another commenter has pointed out, it's likely that the Audi assumes the Corsa is exiting at the first junction in the left lane, but it's actually continuing around to the next exit, so that does add another bit of nuance. However, the speed and the arrogance of the Audi driver is the issue here -- they just assume the world will re-arrange itself to allow a safe exit.
Nice video there Ashley and one thing I notice on some roundabouts, especially when they are on dual carriageways with minor single lane roads on the side exits, is that drivers wrongly assume you are taking the dual carriageway and don’t wait. There is one I use regularly where I am turning right, if I signal too early drivers think I am taking the exit into lane 2, if I signal at the correct time, drivers emerge into lane 1 as I al in lane 2. The solution… Drive around the roundabout as I drive around all roundabouts, cautiously and watching those on and looking to emerge and if necessary slow down for those that do emerge in error. It worries me greatly that people are in such a rush to reach the next red light 5 seconds earlier than they would by waiting that they are willing to risk injury to do it. Remember, there is no harm in going around again if needed and the brake pedal is better on a roundabout than the horn or shouting
Ah, looks like a continuation of the "Give way to both lanes of the roundabout" principle. Will watch this with great interest. Greetings from Birmingham, visiting for Grand Designs Live. A non event drive up from Canterbury yesterday...by putting to practice many of the principles learned from Ashley over the years. Still room for self improvement, as always!
Greeting from Staffordshire not too far away from Birmingham. You have chosen a good weekend to be here with the last hoorah of summer before autumn kicks in full swing Have a good time there 👍
@@smilerbob Hello there. Yes, here for three nights, yesterday being the first. Will be going into Birmingham city centre today via train from the NEC for some sightseeing e.g. the canals and the very modern library plus a few other places. Tomorrow at Grand Designs Live and then back to Canterbury on Monday. Stopped off at Waterperry Gardens near Oxford on the way up and it's lovely. Third time visiting there. Anyhow, hope all is well with you and have a great weekend. I'm still catching up on Ashley's driving and cycling videos.
I remember believing this when I first passed. After a close call I decided it was a bad idea and started giving way to both lanes. Glad to learn I’ve been accidentally doing it right! With regards to other countries, UK roads can be complex because we have a lot of multi-lane roads and roundabouts which are quite rare in some places.
Another difference is that here at least (Netherlands) you exit a multi-lane roundabout from the outside lane only and so you *can* emerge onto a roundabout if the lane you want to enter is clear. Only if there's a car on the inner lane indicating they're moving towards the outside one are you supposed to wait.
this is an excellent lesson and I will certainly follow this, I think I do, but also raises awareness that some drivers will pull out and to watch out for this.
Wow! Do people think that? I wouldn’t dare emerge until nothing was coming at all. It’s the main reason I'm not too fond of roundabouts. I’m well aware of the dangers of this from a terrible roundabout near where I live with three lanes of traffic, where there are always delays and also the odd coalitions.
Thank you for the upload Brother! Regarding the 1st clip at first inspection I do not know if you can leave the roundabout at the exit the driver did from the outside lane: however; large & or restricted lane exit roundabouts always have road markings & usually signs prior to & sometimes on the roundabout giving clear instructions, also due to todays drivers behaviours, always best to drive defensively especially near to high density population areas during rush-hour!!! Also & most IMPORTANTLY: you ALWAYS GIVE WAY TO YOUR right ON A ROUNDABOUT!!!
The way I see driving now, especially after watching Ashley's videos, is I am in control of what I'm doing within the car, but never to presume or assume what someone else is going to do. This works in this scenario perfectly. Dont presume the car is going round the roundabout. Just hold back and wait until its clear
Two things my driving instructor said to me on the first day: 1) Assume everyone else on the road is an idiot 2) Self preservation (i.e. don't get yourself into situations where you could be in danger, of which, not giving way to all lanes on a roundabout is one).
This is the kind of content that I love the most. Some DVLA fund should find its way to your account for such valuable and available information. Thanks Ash, it’s so much appreciated!
Ash, thanks for replying to my video I sent the other day. That roundabout I was on is a nightmare, so I’m always super aware of “barging”. I want to be an instructor so trying my best to learn to be even better.
@@ashley_neal I blame the fact that 40 years ago the HC had as an alternative route through a roundabout for straight ahead the ability to straight line them using both lanes to do so so switching from the neaside lane approaching them to nearside to rounadabout kerb lane then back to nearside exiting roundabout. This all done of course with full observations and if as said in the HC then if traffic dictates, this led to the expectancy that the give way lines meant at the roundabout entrance that it means exactly that and you should wait for all traffic from the right too pass no matter what. The HC does no longer shows this illistration and maintains you should stick to your lane no matter what when going straight ahead so has bought about that they must do this and therefore it's OK to enter the roundabout as the car on the roundabout should not enter the nearside lane on exiting the roundabout if kerbside lane to roundabout is where the car is that is coming from the right.
@rustydusty2992 Yes, that diagram you mention is no longer there, however, I don't think the highway code gives any expectation that the left lane can be just used safely for a left turn if there's a vehicle approaching in the right lane on the roundabout. (I don't think you are saying that's what it says, I think you are saying that many users misinterpret what's in the highway code and that's the cause of this problem. What I'm saying is that to me it still seems fairly clear that you have to be aware of roundabout users in all lanes, so I don't think the highway code is at fault, but maybe you are right and people misunderstand it. However, I'm not sure that's the case, I think some users don't know it well enough or don't care.) Here's why I think the highway code shows that vehicles in the right lane on a roundabout might move left when exiting and therefore why I wouldn't say the highway code is causing this problem. Most obvious to me is the diagram in rule 185. The vehicle turning right (green) is shown exiting using either the left or right lane. So, to someone (e.g., the white car) approaching or waiting at the junction at the top-left of the diagram (the exit before the one that the green car turning right is taking), there is a car approaching in the right/inside lane in the roundabout, they could still be indicating right, but they might be about to leave at the next exit and could move across to the left lane when doing so. The car turning right (green) should change their indicator to left after they pass the exit before the one they want (the exit where the white car is), but they might forget or change late. Even if they indicate left, there's no way to know if that means they will exit in the left or the right lane (and on some roundabouts there might only be one lane on the exit road anyway). So, I'd say the white car can't assume that the left lane will be clear for them. Rule 185 says to give priority to traffic approaching from the right, it doesn't say that only applies to traffic in the leftmost lane on the roundabout. It also says "watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all". That's all users, not just the left lane. So this would include watching out for users in the right lane who might be about to move across to the left lane or might be about to exit using the left lane and might not be indicating left. Rule 186 says about turning right, "keep to the right on the roundabout until you need to change lanes to exit the roundabout", because of course they will need to change to or at least cross the left lane in order to exit, and depending on the size, layout and markings of the roundabout, they may need to do this as or just after they pass the exit before the one they intend to leave at. Of course, they should check left before moving left, but at the point they check, the car that's about to enter might still be stationary, it could be obscured by the window pillar, road signs, other vehicles, etc., and even if they see the car approaching/waiting, they may well assume that the car will give priority to them because that's what's supposed to happen. So, the person joining shouldn't assume they've been seen and shouldn't assume that the users in the roundabout will make any allowance for them joining even if they have been seen.
@@neilp1885 It is a lot of problems but the one diagram I mentioned is that it implies that straightlining is strictley forbidden when the reply from the DOT when I have questioned it in the past agreed with me it's as and when traffic dictates that it's Ok and each case of straightlining should be taken on it's merrits on a case by case basis. There is also the bullying issue as (your in the inside lane you have to continue to use it) attitude by those that are inpatiant to enter the roundabout etc.
As you know I’ve not been driving that long,but I always make sure that both lanes coming around a roundabout have cleared before safely emerging. Some people can’t even get a single lane roundabout correct. Had a Range Rover pull out in front of us on a mini roundabout last night, too busy looking down (mobile phone!) Why wouldn’t your eyes be on the road?
When I learnt to drive in 1984 I was taught to use both lanes to proceed forward unless road direction markings indicate different. I was told if travelling further than straight ahead treat the roundabout as a clock and stay in lane 2 if passing 12 o'clock or more than halfway. Being a motorcycle rider shoulder checks comes natural and my bike awareness can be applied whilst driving in 4 wheels.
Everything that you said I was taught 35 years ago. I am astonished that the views expressed on the first clip are even considered. However I genuinely have been tooted at roundabouts recently in the left hand lane for not emerging quickly enough but if this thought process is becoming prevelant it explains alot.
Spot on Ashley. Why would you want to drive into potential danger? Arrogance, ignorance or impatience. Your video fixes the second and hopefully addresses the first and third!
The instructions in this country appear to have changed somewhere in the early 2000’s, I have a Highway Code from the early 90’s (possibly late 80’s) that shows a vehicle entering from the bottom, going right, going onto the inside round the roundabout and exiting into the right hand lane with the left hand lane an alternate, if clear. Also people think a roundabout as one action when it’s a series of smaller actions, joining, navigating and leaving. I did my car test with the local police advanced/pursuit instructor (before 1990) and my bike test with a biker paramedic (before 2000) they both instructed with similar style, a multi lane roundabout is a self contained dual carriageway, the lane you approach in dictates which lane you go into and (baring additional lane instructions) which lane you leave into. I think people these days completely fail to indicate correctly when they are moving lanes and everyone tries to do them as fast as possible with a complete lack of observation. On a standard 4 road, dual carriageway roundabout, if I am entering from the 6 position, left hand lane, someone entering from the 3 position, right hand lane, both of us going to the 12 position road, using the “old” instructions we can both circle the roundabout at the same time and exit into our respective lanes. Standards have dropped now and we can’t do that as the car from the 3 position would try to “chop” the exit into the left lane, even if they then intend to then go straight back into the right hand lane. (Incidentally chopping the exit is illegal in most other countries and will get you a ticket yet seems to be the norm taught here)
Agree with absolutely everything except the dual carriageway emerge. You'll be sat waiting forever if you're going to sit and wait for the whole carriageway to be clear in both lanes. I teach people to look for signals of those in the overtaking lane that might be coming back over or to look for signals of people in the left lane moving over to allow us room to pull out alongside them. I teach them to do it with the things in mind that I've mentioned and never had a problem and I also mention about how we should allow the vehicle that's moved over for us, to come in back in front of us out of courtesy. They may have moved temporarily but need the following exit so we don't want to block them from moving back over. Observations from both parties should be enough to keep each other safe but it is the vehicle that's emerging that is responsible for doing so safely.
The further issue is that a lot of two lane roundabouts are very badly marked. As a non local, if the markings are worn, it's hard to tell whether there's going to be two lanes on the exit. That does not, however, excuse the driver waiting to emerge on to the roundabout.
Here in Spain, roundabouts are treated as circular roads so if you want to leave the roundabout, you must be in the outer lane. Also, in the outer lane, you can continue without having to exit the roundabout. Also, if the outer lane is clear, you may enter the roundabout and it is the responsibility of the driver changing lanes to make sure it is safe to do so.
On very large motorway roundabouts ie the under pass, I’ve pulled out going left when roundabout not completely clear of traffic in the outer lane, otherwise I don’t though probably have at some point. This was a very useful lesson as I think everyone from time to time abuses roundabouts seeing a gap and rushing for it.
Thanks for sharing this ash. I also give way to both lanes on a roundabout and have been tooted from behind to go. It’s good to know iam doing the correct thing. 😁
Back when I was learning to drive, I was taught that all cars on a roundabout (no matter the lane) have right of way, and to wait for a car to safely pass on the inner lane before tucking in as you described. Making sure you know where that inner car is going before joining. I have had plenty of cars beep at me to go when there is a roundabout section that seems to curve off to the left as if it's falsely like its own lane to follow. But it's still a roundabout junction, and should be treated as such. I always feel the pressure and made to feel like I am in the wrong for waiting, but know full well I'm not! I feel like there needs to be a lot more focus on roundabouts, not just from learning to use them, but from building and design side! There is a roundabout near me that has failed people on their tests purely because the painted sign on the ground is in error and has still yet to be rectified. There are some roundabouts that are just so so poorly designed, even with correct signage, I've ended up in the wrong position because an exit is a split second wide and hasn't been give a proper exit time/design. Leading to have to loop round again haha
Thanks for clarifying this. It’s an area I wasn’t too up on. A related point is that I think those on the roundabout need to be clearer with their signals. Too many times I see cars using exit 1 on a roundabout without indicating left. This forces drivers using the entry at exit 1 to keep off the roundabout in case those using the roundabout want to leave at exit 2 etc. It bunches up traffic at the roundabout unnecessarily.
6.25 thank you so much for clearing this up! I'm newly passed and have had people beep me for waiting for both lanes to be clear. I was starting to doubt myself 😅
6:26 Interesting point and definitely the safest mindset to have... but what about joining a busy 3 lane motorway? The safest course of action would be to wait until all 3 lanes are clear but that's not really practical in a lot of busy scenarios. So then, what if it's a really busy dual carriageway and, for example, oncoming traffic has moved across from lane 1 to lane 2 to give space to let you out? I think in this scenario, it may be sensible to join with care.
Motorways have slip roads to let you get up to speed before joining the carriageway. It is possible that somebody from lane 2 might cut into the space you were going for in lane 1 but a small adjustment of speed should sort that out. If it happened and there really was nowhere to go, I’d consider using the hard shoulder to escape.
This was just my thought. Given the volume of traffic when joining dual carriage ways and the volume of traffic joining the dual carriage way I suspect MOST cars will be joining lane one when it is clear and not waiting for the whole road to clear. I know as a matter of habit I change to the second lane as a matter of habit to allow vehicles to join in lane one.
I have never known what to do in that situation but to me the safer option was to wait for both lanes to be clear, so glad I was doing it correctly. However, I have been known to just slide out of roundabouts and I'll own up to that
This misperception may occur because the inside lane is sometimes very slow moving or stopped, and full of traffic. So if you waited for both lanes to be clear you would be there forever. Unfortunately, over time that gets into peoples perception of how roundabouts work, even when the traffic gets moving again.
The flexibility of roundabout design has been taken to the limit, with so many permutations and combinations that some drivers struggle to cope with them, especially if the driver is unfamiliar with the roundabout in question.
I think the confusion comes when there are multiple lanes on all exits, not just on the main approaches. Say 2 lanes on all approaches. I think some people assume that if you are going straight from the right lane, you will leave in the right lane (which of course you will if there is someone alongside you, but won't necessarily if there isn't)
I always enjoy your vids and I will make a few points of view here. Firstly, when you were turning left onto that first island you really didn't need to signal left. A left signal would be of no use to any other road users who were close by. The traffic behind you waiting in the left lane to turn left couldn't go anywhere until you had moved and the traffic opposite on the other side of the road wouldn't even see your signal. A signal wouldn't be expected by traffic coming from the right as you would automatically give way to them and they wouldn't be able to see your left signal anyway. The really interesting thing here (something I learned from my advanced driver training way back in the 80's) is that when you are pulling out onto the road at the angle that you were, you're actually pulling out to the right into the traffic so a right hand signal would make more sense because you were pulling out into moving traffic and not actually turning left. The other point I would like to make is that I would slowly approach the roundabout while waiting for a gap in the traffic rather than driving straight up to the give way line stopping dead and then sitting there and keep looking back straining my old and severely arthritic neck. Following on from this, people should also be aware of what is known as "habit signalling". This is where drivers are in a lane that is clearly marked for left or right turning traffic only but they still sit there fourteenth in the queue frantically signalling. A great example of this is when you are behind a car and they suddenly stop, turn right into a junction and halfway into the turn signal right as if the signal helps them to turn right. Luckily you and I and most people on this channel know what these crazy people re going to do before they do it. Just to mention here something that has happened to me a few times at mainly small traffic islands where I live. We all know the rules that say you should give way to traffic coming from the right at roundabouts. However, most people don't know that you have the right of way until the vehicle approaching from the right actually reaches the give way line on the roundabout. I've often had people blasting their horns at me who were 10 or 15 yards away from their line when I had already driven over my line. Great vids mate keep them coming. Thank you.
I totally agree - and this has been a really useful video for me personally. On one particular roundabout near me I'm just going to have to get used to waiting a hell of a long time for to pull out.
I'm so glad I came across this video. I thought I was going insane. I was always told to wait if cars were coming around the roundabout regardless of lane and the amount of times I've seen people not do this is astonishing! I'm glad I wasn't going mad.
Currently learning roundabouts at the moment so this is very helpful, they're not as tricky as I used to think but I've only been on small ones 😅 three lane roundabouts will be a challenge! You need to make sure the whole roundabout is clear before entering, I try not to enter a roundabout unless I'm certain it's safe for me to go, I can hesitate at times judging speed of a car coming around even though it's safe but that will just come with more practice :)
I was taught (by two driving instructors in the 1990s) never to change lanes on a roundabout - so sliding over is a no-no if there are two lanes leading off the roundabout. It wasn't until lane markings started telling me to change lanes that I got confused and realised that something had changed in how people are taught. (I also never trust people to do what I expect)
Exactly! When people and I turn off to the exit we switch lanes. And that's why I'm careful coming onto a roundabout and try to make sure both lanes are clear. That's probably the reason alot or roundabouts don't have road markings for that reason
In Hong Kong, where we follow the UK rules as the base point, we have some busy THREE-lane roundabouts. What we see there can be quite gnarly. And that's on top of the many, many two-lane roundabouts.
I was taught in the 80s; that if you entered in the right lane, you exited in the right lane with the option to exit in the left lane ONLY if it was clear to do so with an over-the-left-shoulder look and NEVER to change lanes ON a roundabout. This allowed for better flow of traffic, saving someone having to wait for ages to enter and then leave on their first exit, waiting for lane 2 to become empty, even if vehicles on the roundabout were continuing round. However it seems now, drivers think that they should always exit in the left lane no matter what, rather than using the lane provided. Also, regarding moving from lane 2 to lane 1 on a dual-carriageway, again I was taught NOT to do so at junctions to allow vehicles to exit that junction.
I do this in one situation only - when I'm in a fully laden HGV in heavy (rush hour) traffic, I'm taking the first exit onto a multi lane road, and there is a stream of single file traffic all following the inside of the roundabout. An example would be turning left at a flyover roundabout onto a multi lane dual carriageway with a multi lane slip road. This means I remain in the left hand lane, AND traffic on the roundabout has the option to simply overtake me into lane 2 of the slip road. I make my intentions very clear by hugging the left hand side of the road and indicating left. I'd say 80% of people are cool with this, 15% are unsure (and hold back), and 5% will give me the horn. It's not as per the HWC, but it works very well to keep traffic flowing (the road I'm emerging FROM is notorious for long tailbacks) and, whilst annoying a very small minority of people, has never created an unsafe situation.
I seem to vaguely remember my driving instructor giving me one situation where you could emerge like this, something like if you’re going first exit left and there’s a car in the inside lane indicating right. But since I could never remember it exactly, I’ve always played it safe and waited for the whole roundabout.
Perhaps if you've just seen that vehicle enter from the junction immediately before yours, indicate right, and move into the right lane. They shouldn't be leaving at the next exit (your left), so you *might* be safe to go. However, that driver might have made a mistake and might want the next exit and might suddenly take it, or they might be 'straight lining' the roundabout and accidentally or mistakenly have their right indicator on. In general, as shown in the diagram in highway code rule 185, a vehicle in the right lane might exit using either lane. See the vehicle turning right (green), which is shown exiting using either the left or right lane. So, to someone (e.g., the white car in the diagram) approaching or waiting at the junction at the top-left of the diagram (the exit before the one that the green car turning right is taking), there is a car approaching in the right/inside lane in the roundabout, they could still be indicating right, but they might be about to leave at the next exit and could move across to the left lane when doing so. The car turning right (green) should change their indicator to left after they pass the exit before the one they want (the exit where the white car is), but they might forget or change late. Even if they indicate left, there's no way to know if that means they will exit in the left or the right lane (and on some roundabouts there might only be one lane on the exit road anyway). So, I'd say the white car can't assume that the left lane will be clear for them. Rule 185 says to give priority to traffic approaching from the right, it doesn't say that only applies to traffic in the leftmost lane on the roundabout. It also says "watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all". That's all users, not just the left lane. So this would include watching out for users in the right lane who might be about to move across to the left lane or might be about to exit using the left lane and might not be indicating left. Of course everyone will need to change to or at least cross the left lane in order to exit, and depending on the size, layout and markings of the roundabout, they may need to do this as or just after they pass the exit before the one they intend to leave at. They should check left before moving left, but at the point they check, the car that's about to enter might still be stationary, it could be obscured by the window pillar, road signs, plants, other vehicles, etc., and even if they see the car approaching/waiting, they may well assume that the car will give priority to them because that's what's supposed to happen. So, the person joining shouldn't assume they've been seen and shouldn't assume that the users in the roundabout will make any allowance for them joining even if they have been seen.
The problem is also lane discipline, cut back in too soon, and the car that should have waited gets taken out, I realise to wrongs don't make a right, I have been driving over forty odd years, and have always, as Ashley said, given way to both lanes, its the safest option
I made this exact mistake on my test a few years back, I don't know why I knew it was wrong yet for some reason I panicked and went. Thought for sure I'd failed so I was more relaxed for the rest of the test since I thought it didn't matter, but at the end I was shocked when the examiner gave me a pass. I actually asked about it and he said yeah it wasn't great but only a minor since I didn't cause the car on the inside lane to brake or swerve. In a way I guess it was a good thing since the change in mindset after it happened probably helped me pass since in my anxiety I probably would've panicked and made a worse mistake.
I would add that internet says this about UK: "Turning Right: You’ll need to move into the left lane before exiting - so check your blind spot while doing this with a quick glance over your left shoulder. Once in the left lane you’re ready to exit." There's nothing like that in other European countries I'm familiar with. You can exit from inside lane there, but not UK.
I am in the Netherlands so our road rules may be a little different to the UK but broadly they are the same. However one thing that is very common here are raised lane dividers on roundabouts. Personally I think they are great because they force people to stay in lane, something not everyone seems to do, and they also allow you to safely do what your viewer mistakenly did because you know the vehicle on the roundabout is not going to change lanes. You did say that if you were going further round than the second exit then you must be in the right hand lane. Now we drive on the right side of the road here so I'll flip my example to make it suitable for people in the UK. There is a roundabout near us that has four exits. From one particular direction it is clearly marked on the approach (both on signs and on the road) that the right lane is for going right and the left lane is for going left, straight on, or right. Yet people routinely get in the right hand lane to go right and form a queue and then they often get upset when people use the clearly marked left lane to go right. Obviously this roundabout layout is unusual, but the raised lane dividers and the road markings mean that using either lane to turn right is quite safe but it seems strange that someone who chooses to use the right lane would then get upset at someone using the lane with no queue.
Other issues are vehicles coming onto and going off roundabouts is when there's 2 designated lanes turning right onto a dual carriageway, vehicles in the right hand lane don't stay in their lane until it's clear to move over into the left hand lane once exiting the roundabout, instead they'll just move across into the lane before they have exited the roundabout and without checking (or maybe they don't care) there's another vehicle in the left lane, basically there's a lack of lane discipline on roundabouts like that! The trick to roundabouts is the timing on approach observing what's coming so there's no need to give way, a lot of people wait until they're at a roundabout stop then they've lost all momentum which means more than likely they'll be something coming, this then causes congestion and all because people don't pay enough attention.
The rules in Norway are basically that you have to give way to everyone already inside the roundabout. However, this does not mean that you can't enter if someone is on the opposite side of said roundabout, rather that your entry must not force others to react in any way. I also feel that it is strating to become more common for drivers to communicate where they're going by using indicators; right if you're exiting, left if you're driving more than halfway around. Of course we drive on the *right* side of the road, so if you live in, say, the UK and thus drive on the wrong side, you should swap which indicator you're using... Love your videos Ashley, please keep them coming!
I never thought much about merging on to a two lane road, always would do my best to anticipate if they were going to switch lanes (and sometimes they do) but now I'll hold back to be certain of avoiding a bad situation.
I know the roundabout in the first clip very well, by Tesco Wellingborough. The problem with this area is it has a very high traffic volume and lots of vehicles approaching from different areas - including 2 exits off the A45. There was an accident just prior to the roundabout only yesterday. The main problem is the speed people drive at, even the 40 limit is too much and hardly anyone obeys that! There is a lot of pressure to go quickly as traffic soon builds up in all directions, but you have to wait for a safe opportunity.
I feel like the problem is almost every roundabout in Britain is slightly different, frankly poorly or unintuitively designed, and without lane markings. Lane markings alone make things a lot clearer. Ive had one collision and several near misses in 10 years driving and almost all of them were on multi lane roundabouts.
A major reason people often fail to give way on roundabouts is because they're just too busy and if you give way until a gap appears, it never will and you will be stuck there for hours with a queue building up behind you. Priority-only roundabouts just don't work at busy junctions, and they result in a combination of long queues and people trying to force their way out as people on the roundabout speed round it. I see this all the time at junctions on the old dual carriageways in west London.
But if they're busy, then there's usually going to be traffic which will occasionally block the traffic from your right, giving you the chance to go around safely. Sometimes you have to wait, which can be nerve wracking if there's a queue behind you, but people need to avoid getting pressured into driving into a high risk situation. It's exactly at busy roundabouts that people will suddenly change lane because they didn't realise their exit was coming up that quickly etc, and so a high chance of a collision.
As you said, rules are different on the continent. I find them better as they are simpler. The inside lane is just a spare lane to allow traffic to flow - used by cars to turn left. People are taught 1) to exit from the outside lane only 2) slide in the outside lane one exit before. No one assumes that the person in the outside lane is going to leave at the next exit. Lorry drivers are actually trained to use the outside lane only to avoid people moving into their blind spots. I find ground markings just make things more confusing especially at night, raining, or when the driver doesn't know the area, the abbreviated names of the nearby cities, or English.
That slide across or spiral out at the previous turning is always an issue even if you are signalling, those coming out of that previous turning will pull out because you are currently in the other lane and wont let you in to make your exit at the next turn. As a result most european drivers go the whole way round in the same lane. They only use the other lane for an agressive overtake and carve up. They should close all their roundabouts down to one lane. Not resident in Spain but here a few months of the year.
Formation flying with total strangers, is a comment made to me by a police driving instructor, many years ago and it hasn't changed. I know it would be hard to inforce now, but I beleive we should be the same as Germany, in that you should have to use indicators at every change or direction or lane change. We shouldn't be given the choice as so many people now don't understand when they should use them.
I was driving in Malta a couple of months ago, and whilst most driving was very similar to the UK, the one thing to be wary of, is that people will go any direction on a roundabout, from any lane. People would often go all the way round the roundabout to go back the way we joined from, in the left lane.
5:12 I can confirm. As a Spaniard, our law dictates that the correct way to do a roundabout is on the outside lane, no matter what exit you're taking. The inside lanes are only "recommended" to alleviate traffic. It's an antiquated law from back when traffic was insignificant compared to now. Over time, drivers have adapted to this without any actual input from the government, so people use the inside lanes, but not properly. This has resulted in a very uncomfortable combination, where people who have been driving for decades are using the inside lanes but also not bothering to switch lanes before exiting, and newer drivers doing entire roundabouts in the outside lane because that's what driving schools teach. If you spend any amount of time on a Spanish city, I recommend you simply grab your camera and spend 2 minutes next to a roundabout, I guarantee you'll see at least someone exiting from the inside and cutting someone else off. I passed my test almost a year ago, but I still remember my driving instructor telling me that he was aware that the situation was absurd, but the industry seems to have come to the agreement that the most reliable way for learners to pass their test is to teach them to do roundabouts exactly as the antiquated law says and then pray that they develop some better habits once they have their license.
Ash: I don't think the roundabout rules are very much different around europe. I drive round to the uk from norway every summer and i don't see any country on that route with a general rule that the roundabout inside lane must give way to cars entering the roundabout. The french certainly have roundabouts where cars on the roundabout must give way to traffic entering, but that's both lanes and those roundabouts are generally well marked. Some countries have also had general rules in the past that you only indicate when leaving the roundabout. Norway is one of these, but new drivers here are now taught to indicate on approach too. In general though, i would say that the UK is worse than other countries in that there are so many different (often confusingly imaginative) roundabout designs. Other countries seem to keep the layout more standardised.
I drove for three weeks in France on my summer holidays. I agree that nearly all of their round abouts were simple and clear. I also found that in general people took much smaller gaps on entry to the round about. The type that in the UK would have people beeping at them and closing the space down. But their driving culture was much more tolerant, it's like they all understood the difficulty of getting a gap on a busy round about and would just slow a bit and let things flow. It was refreshing to see.
I made this exact same mistake during my last mock test lesson, went to pull out onto a dual carriageway when it was clear in the left lane and not the right. Wish i had learnt this before. Great video as always
If you pull out while traffic is on the inside of the roundabout, you do run the high risk of someone sliding over for the next turn off, just like emerging onto a two lane road . Indicators are not always used correctly either. Ashley is right you should wait until both lanes are clear, trouble is people feel pressured by vehicles behind on busy roundabouts. Just last week had a lorry hit the back of me, just slid over into my lane, on a roundabout. They had no idea I was there, luckily I was not a biker. I tried the Ashley method of not being opposite another vehicle but other vehicles made this impossible.
Agreed, after no indication not giving way to both lanes is the second most regular bad driving occurrence I see on roundabouts. I often find myself giving way for no reason to someone who exits without indicating.
I definitely remember being taught to give way to all traffic to my right, at a roundabout. In practice, there are times when you can see it will be safe to "slip round" from the left lane onto the first exit, but the onus is on you to do it safely, as traffic that was already on the roundabout absolutely has the right of way. I'm now in Texas, where there are very few roundabouts and nobody has the slightest idea how to drive them. I basically wait to see what everyone else is trying to do, because it's basically "roll the dice" :P
Also, just because you correctly use the right hand lane of the roundabout, because you are turning right. If you're existing on to a dual carriageway, some people expect you to, exit in to, and stay in that lane. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can exit in to the left or right lane from the roundabout, in this situation.
I'd never be arrogant enough to think I'm a great driver or that I'd never make the mistakes we see in these videos. For the roundabouts I was sort of relieved to know I'm doing everything right...I think. However, I now realise that I need to check what I do when I emerge from my residential street onto a main road. I think I check for traffic in both lanes and don't assume that a car in lane 2 will always stay there, but right now I'm unsure. A good video.
Good video. I do as correctly shown here. If turning (say 3o'clock right) on a roundabout....I often favour avoiding crossing to lane 1 on exit so as to avoid risk of collisions with those that pull out and turn left into lane 1. Riding a motorcycle has helped me increase my vigilance.
I always thought it was clear, and simple, and we give way to our right. Seems too many people misinterpret "watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout" as "If I can get on the roundabout first I can take priority". It's just selfishness and the MGIF mentality.
I'd like Ashley to do a video on tiny button style rightabouts. I've seen people who because they are on the "main" road they think they have priority over traffic already on the roundabout. Also people effectively going round them the wrong way. E.g 2 cars directly opposite each other on a medium size roundabout, both can pull out and go round. However scale down to a tiny roundabout and people do alsorts, e.g. don't stop, don't look, assume right of way rather than give way, and turn directly where they want to go effectively cutting the roundabout out. Edit: maybe better describe by 2 cars directly facing each other, no other cars so neither had a car to there right. Some assume no car to the right means they have right of way and will turn right by cutting out the roundabout and point the car 45deg right.
I didn't realise this was a thing until now. Anyone with any driving experience should know not all roundabouts are the same. Its quite common to go straight ahead in the right lane especially on dual carriageways. Or any number of different road layouts. It just makes sense to wait until you know what the other cars are going to do before pulling out
Great topic to cover, amazes me how many people aren't terrified doing this, I know it would me in most cases. That said, I admit doing this on one roundabout that's crossing a motorway junction/roundabout. I have local knowledge doing that roundabout, know which lanes go where for wherever the traffic's coming from, and make sure I emerge at a time and speed so I'll still be staggered in the tiniest chance they were in the wrong lane. But would I recommend that? No I wouldn't, as I'm sure I'd be found at fault in some way if the worst happened.
This seems to be happening way more recently, even my wife thought it was the correct approach when we very nearly had a collision. I told her that I never undertake on a roundabout unless clearly safe and always give way to whatever traffic is there. My dad taught me to give way to anything or anyone past the give way line or the dashed line entering a junction and it's stood me in good stead tbh
Always taught to give way to the right. So when it's absolutely clear I can progress. Also if I'm ever in any doubt about the signals a car/driver is giving off, I'll hold back/wait
I had similar happen today - baring in mind I'm in a 3 tonne Range Rover 😂 Old boy in a white Tiguan indicates and looks to exit from where I'm entering, then suddenly swings out as I've set off, almost ploughing in to the side of me, blasts at me, then goes on to tailgate me. What a tool.
I currently have to disagree with Ashley's comment regarding the Corsa moving out. From the camera perspective, the driver of the Corsa has lifted the clutch before the Audi is in view from the Corsa's perspective. I find this is a common problem these days. The islands are far larger than yesteryear and cars appear very quickly, as does the Audi. Also the Audi appears to have turned in front of the Corsa causing it to flip.
100% The Audi's Fault if you slow the video down to speed 0.25 you can see the corsa start to move off just as the Audi comes in to view which must be 50 yards away more he sees the corsa and thinks I'm not having this assumes it's taking the first exit and not going straight on, He then accelerates to get past instead of hanging back letting the corsa carry out it's manoeuvre resulting in the collision. Also if the Audi had been doing a sensible speed for a roundabout this would of been a non event.
I believe there are also training models out there regarding roundabouts, on the internet, which show if you are making a right turn and you are in the inside lane, when you leave you must remain in lane 2 on the exit. This in turn free's up lane 1 and this is where people could misinterpret that as their lane is free, they can make a quick left at the 1st exit unimpeded.
Wow. I've never even thought about this before. I mean, I've never encountered this sort of problem on a roundabout before. I've always given way to both lanes - it's just common sense (for the reasons outlined in the video). The one that annoys me is when the left lane approaching a roundabout is designated "left turn only", but someone in that lane then goes straight on, effectively cutting across a lane when there often isn't room.
My instructor taught me the same as you teach your students, especially these days where some people dont even bother indicating, if there's an unknown, never chance it.
hi Ashley i was taught not to change lanes when you are in lane two coming of a roundabout into a two lane road, only to change to lane one once you are of the roundabout. but that said i do wait until it clear before i move on to the roundabout. i know dont sit next to any cars on the roundabout thanks to you :}
As the person in the first video. I sent this in so Ashley can use this as a learning tool, already realised my mistake and won’t be doing that again.
Thanks for sending in! It's helped get this important message out to many people.👊
Wellingborough. I know that junction well and I think you were expecting that vehicle to stay on the dual-carriageway down to Tescos, because that's what the vast majority of traffic will do there. It's not clear where the Mercedes came from, but if it was the exit from the A45, then the road markings there might have caused some confusion. It's marked for both lanes to go ahead, which I think is meaning the A509 down past Tescos. However, that turn is just past the 12 o'clock and seems more like a right turn. So, the Mercedes driver might have thought lane 2 could be used to head up the road you took, past KFC.
Learning from our mistakes is all part of the process 👍
Thank you for sharing with us all
Yes, I was nearly taken out on a big roundabout because of this, I was doing it absolutely perfectly liking this video, taking a right turn, and then sliding over to the left to come off at my exes, indicators on and everything, and this car comes out onto the roundabout, nearly crashed into me, and I can see them in the car gesticulating and screaming, as if the problem was me!
@@rainchains5306 If you watch CZcams dashcam channels (guilty!), multilane and mini roundabouts seem to feature heavily. I really think the Highway Code needs a bit of an update to clarify a few bits surrounding roundabout etiquette, as there seems to be a lot of confusion on a number of issues, such as:
- pedestrians crossing entries/exits
- lane discipline when turning right (the issue you describe)
- overtaking
- extent of priority to the right
- lane discipline going ahead (particularly where two lanes merge back into one)
The fact that the viewer even sent that in is worrying, hopefully this will help them see the errors of their ways.On a side note I have noticed that drivers who tend to shout and scream about other road users are the ones who make the most errors. Gread video as always and fingers crossed this will reach someone who needs it.
You see it quite a lot on other dash cam compilations where the noisiest are the ones that contributed the most in the situation, usually by accelerating towards the danger and braking late and hard to “prove a point of inconvenience” 🤦♂️
Blows my mind that a "viewer" of Ashley can act like that. If they took any of his content in theres no way they would drive like that, surely
@@C-RENITYmaybe he's new. 🤷
@@smilerbob I think reflecting on the why a conversation I had with my dad last night kind of showed a but of insight. My Dad has driven through most of the UK and lots of Europe, he is a experienced driver, he still gets road rage, he'll sit there and speed up and shout at other drivers, I said to him why don't you relax and just make it a none event like Ashley says. He replies "because I hate bullies, I hate people who try to push out and try to intimidate me", what that shows to me is that it's a certain mindset, that they see there car as a extension of themselves, that any slight on the road is seen as a slight against them. I think that's why they shout and scream and drive so aggressively because they see that the other driver has slighted them and see that as a slight of themselves. Instead they need to slip out of monkey brain, the most primal part and see what effect their action is and realise that rarely is a slight a deliberate attack but that by you reacting in a aggressive manner you are making the situation worse and finally that the car is not a extension of you it's a box with wheels, a pice of machinery that you operate completely with a neutral mindsight focusing on creating a safe environment for everyone, I wouldn't operate a chainsaw angry so why would I do so in a car?
100%. Good drivers will de-escalate any situation.
I’m actually so glad you’ve covered this! I always feel bad waiting for both lanes to be clear because I sometimes get pressure from behind to just go when there’s a space. But it makes total sense that a car turning right would slide into the outside lane to exit Cus that’s what we’re taught to do in our lessons!
I feel the same, especially on very busy roundabouts where you feel like you’re never going to get out
It is a well known feeling that one and is why sports people will use a delaying tactic in high pressure situations, like a penalty kick in football (or soccer for our American friends).
The waiting builds anxiety and pressure to the point we rush and make a mistake. Best thing I can recommend is ignore any pressure from behind and if needed, take a deep breath in and slow release out. It will calm the heart rate and reduce the anxiety/ pressure 👍
Take care out there everyone, ‘tis a mad world sometimes
That is exactly the reason I love the Turbo roundabouts. A lot more clearer where people are going. People tend to drive slower on them (despite the name). You can go from the inner lane to the exit. However this is purposely designed. You do not "merge" while doing that as it is a dedicated lane. Traffic going left would also have it own outer lane for going left. The merging is done after the exit if it is not a dual lane road.
@@nitroneal4998 relax you will get out. A gap always comes that you can take
These days I don't rush on roundabouts for anyone. With people using wrong lanes and just not indicating, I'll wait until things are unquestionably clear before I go.
My driving teacher actually pressured me to emerge in situations where there were vehicles in lane 2 and it wasn't clear exactly where they were going. He kept saying "there's nobody coming" when that clearly wasn't true. Took me a while to learn that the reason I was scared of roundabouts was that he was constantly telling me to do them incorrectly and unsafely.
@@HarryBarryGaryDoes seem a popular tactic these days. 😕
Back when I was first learning, I ended up stopping driving lessons for 2 full years because of an instructor like that. She was yelling and shouting at me to go and that I was "being stupid", I was already stressed enough of encountering my first BIG roundabout with faster moving traffic. I held it together during the rest of the lesson, but the moment I got home I broke down crying and sobbing so much, I didn't want to drive again!!
I was encouraged for a long while to try again by family, and thankfully found myself with a lovely bloke who had barely any qualms with my driving, he looked forward to my lessons as he didn't feel as if he was on pins gripping his seat with me compared to other learners he had haha.
He helped me conquer my fear of roundabouts caused by the previous instructor, and worked up from lesser traffic area roundabouts, then gradually to the more high traffic area roundabouts, which really helped my confidence with using them.
I do that to.
u funny though. Well done@@Trinity2k7
he was correct .
Got honked at last week because I was giving way to both lanes. Glad you're sharing the message 😊
Yes that's happened to me too. I drive a classic car (1972 Hillman Avenger) which is perfectly capable of keeping up with modern traffic, but some drivers seem to have even less patience with a classic car than a modern one, and will beep horns at me just for driving safely.
Love it when a viewer thinks that Ashley is going to take their side... and then he schools them on what they did wrong
Patience is a big factor, if someone pulls out or does something not quite right, they may be in a strange place to them, just give room and let it go, we all make mistakes no matter how careful we try to be.
My biggest issue with roundabouts is people that don't indicate their intentions or indicate too late or too early, so I usually mind read other drivers intentions and don't take chances, even if it means I have to hesitate entering a roundabout😂
Yes, not signalling left to exit, making you think they're carrying on round because they have their right indicator flashing.
This is a massive issue where I live, the amount of times I get beeped at or verbally abused because I'm not merging onto a roundabout when both lanes aren't free has just become normal to me 🙄 and the speed people take upto them is crazy! people really need educating
There's a three lane roundabout near me where I often make a detour so that I take the 1st exit, instead of going across. People driving fast on roundabouts can also create problems like this, even if the lanes were clear when you entered.
I don't always wait for both lanes to be clear but a lot has to line up to pull it off. I definitely don't do it out of some sort of (wrong) principle like in your first clip. There are definitely times its safe to do it.
Yeah reading what people are doing around you
Agree. If you're turning left and the vehicle coming from your (edited) right is clearly going further round the roundabout I will cautiously pull out. Don't rely on a right turn signal though - people often forget to cancel them when they need to exit the roundabout. Road positioning and speed are a better guide. It's still best to wait though, unless it's absolutely clear what they're doing.
Like everything it depends on the situation, I look for all the clues and make a safe decision while making safe good progress.
There's a sort of car positioning body language you can use which says, "I'm going to stick to lane 2 to let you keep going in lane 1 without having to stop." It sort of contradicts this video but it can work if everyone knows what's happening.
@paulsengupta971 with experience that's what we all use, looking for tell tale signs what people will do and not really rely on signals. Yes you give way to the right, you still have to be aware of who might potentially enter in front of you and adjust by either backing off or sticking to the appropriate lane to allow them to merge safely
I would have thought the golden rule on any roundabout was never to assume other drivers were going to do what they might appear to be going to do, and act accordingly.
Indeed, section 185 says: "watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all". So we should never encroach, overtake, undertake, or ideally, even be alongside other vehicles when we're on a roundabout.
Pretty funny that in the UK our whole road system is a bit predicated on a bunch of people not doing what they're supposed to and everyone else having to account for it
@@rosa__lux692I think most of the country, let alone the roads, works on that basis.
When leaving a roundabout , if you circulated in the right lane , you must exit in the right lane , THEN return to the left when safe to do so .
3:03 here in Australia you can’t do this. If you are in the right-hand lane, you must exit onto the right-hand lane (even if there is a left turn immediately after). I was told many times by my driving instructor to turn left when cars are on the roundabout in the right hand lane. In Australia, every two-lane roundabout has two lanes exiting for this very reason, and often the 2 lanes will immediately merge into one, but there will never be just 1 lane exiting a 2-lane roundabout.
I think there's an issue here which I mentioned above, I personally think the instructor here is incorrect as much as his tutelage has helped me and I respect and appreciate the content he puts out.
There's no need for a 2nd lane on the exit if it's not going to be used, lane discipline is a thing here in the UK (which isn't used widely but taught lol) and I think everyone is bonkers for essentially ending up in an incorrect lane on the exit. That's why the problems in this video exist, but they aren't promoting correct use.
This isn't quite correct for Australia either, and there are many counterexamples in many states where you need to change lanes to take an exit. The many state laws do all suggest that you can change lanes in a roundabout - especially rule 117 in the versions of the Australian Road Rules (or rule 98 in the Road Traffic Code 2000 in Western Australia).
@@EvoBeard I think there are two main reasons for teaching people to exit in the left-hand lane early:
- to discourage undertaking. Impatient drivers will find any opportunity to overtake slower drivers and will even do so even when these drivers are trying to move back into the normal driving position. Drivers are therefore taught to move in early before other drivers are tempted to undertake.
- to reduce the chance of gridlock in the roundabout. A good number of roundabouts are next to zebra crossings, crossings with signals and junctions with traffic lights. Stopped traffic has a lesser chance of locking up the roundabout if it is positioned on the outside, as opposed to inside.
As it should be. typical, uk with its backwards thinking.
Thes seems strange to me. Are we to infer that it is not permitted to change lanes while on a roundabout?
Like this video, really informative. Biggest issue on roundabouts I see is when there are multiple lanes all going to one exit but then drivers sweep across into lane 1 from lane 2 before exiting causing the traffic in lane 1 to brake to avoid a collision.
That didn't really get a strong enough mention. Ashley did say, he observes, signals then slides left, but too many skip the observation though laziness or complacency then just signal & slide left through habit. Being prepared to stay in the right lane when exiting creates a little more time, allowing both for those who observe poorly & also those who expect you to be flexible.
But in the other position, if you don't pull out, you won't fall foul of somebody else's bad habit.
In NZ, when going straight ahead or turning right at a roundabout the Road Code requires you to exit in the same lane you entered in. Do not 'sweep across' but remain in lane 2 on the exit. Then move left when safe to do so.
that is exactly why you must exit in the lane you circulated in .
It’s mental that people think you can emerge in situations like this but absolutely nothing surprises me now.
The roundabout under the A34 between Abingdon and Marcham is one you have to be really observant emerging as those come round the roundabout can build up quite a bit of speed coming under the A34 so it ends up far from clear if they are inside/outside of the roundabout and where they are heading! Another roundabout topic that could be worthy of your attention Ashley is roundabouts with spiral lane markings - at many (such as A34/M4) there are lots of drivers who either don't notice the spiral or try to ignore it to realign their lane by the next segment/lights.
Thank you for this. I've only watched the intro so far, but you have called me out.
I would pull on to that roundabout to turn left if someone was already on the inside of the roundabout indicating right. I've never seen it as an issue when people do it to me.
I'll continue with the video now to learn why I shouldn't be doing it.
that is why the roundabouts have multiple lanes and so do the exits - it is so that more traffic can flow without conflict .
Hi Ashley, many decades ago, not long after I had started driving cars and vans those vehicles were very slow off the mark compared to the powerful motorbikes I was familiar with, roundabouts were particularly difficult. I quite quickly learned that sensible observation of the traffic from the right on the approach could enable sensible adjustment of my speed to aim for a gap in the traffic and not actually have to stop, this meant that the size of space needed was far less than from stationary.
The same also applies when joining carriageways from the slip road, observation and adjustment is essential!.
There was a time many years ago that I was saying that actually stopping at a roundabout should incur an automatic fine!, such a waste time and energy!.
This strategy is entirely dependent on accurate and reliable judgement and adjustment of speed and requires significant levels of spacial awareness, above all takes time and experience, another example of how education is so much more valuable than blanket application of simplistic rules.
Cheers, Richard.
Roundabouts - planning to stop but looking to go.
@@gregg.d Hi Gregg D, Perfect!.
Cheers, Richard.
There's a roundabout which I use fairly often that has north south traffic on one main road and east west on another. Mostly vehicles are going straight on from any direction rather than turning onto the other road. Sight lines are good, and generally traffic isn't too heavy. What I've observed is that the traffic keeps flowing on both roads, with cars spacing themselves to use the gaps. It's quite a thing of beauty!
@@paulsengupta971 Hi Paul Sengupta, thank you for this response, it is good to get a positive comment on these channels!, seeing something good for a change!.
You do highlight the plain fact that far too many traffic bottlenecks are aggravated by poor road layout and markings.
Sixty years ago when I first started to e=see the clever way English A roads markings were applied I was so impressed!. Every road had the same style of markings and signage, dotted white lines of differing interval depending on the conditions ahead, turning to roadside signs then solid white line one side, then both, double, sides then off again at the exit!, every one of then set in a manner that matched the nature of that section of the highway but extraordinarily consistent over the network that does not seems to be possible any more now that we have so many better more 'efficient' ways of management!.
Cheers, Richard.
I literally just had an accident yesterday caused by a driver turning right from a left only lane on a roundabout. The coincidence of you covering this is amazing. Glad you covered it!
damn how bad was it? did everyone involved make it out alright?
It’s worth reminding folks that EVERY car on the inside of a roundabout will eventually turn left !
Just car damage really, don't believe there were any injuries, maybe just some muscle strains on both sides. Left with the insurers to deal with
How was it caused by the driver turning right from a left only lane? Wasn't the cause you failing to give way to that driver? Just because they shouldn't have been there doesn't mean you can emerge in front of them.
This is why Ashley advocates going round in a staggered formation, so if someone does this it doesn't cause a collision. Not always practical, but best to do it whenever possible.
I always found roundabouts stressful when I was learning, and it took me ages to figure out why. This video is a big part of it -- it's part of the 'de facto' / 'de jure' rules of driving, and a lot of people get it wrong. This would've been a very useful lesson at the time, as it helps correct our own errors and understand other people's intentions.
So many accidents on roundabouts come down to a handful of things:
1. People assuming they can go side-by-side at all times, not waiting (main bit in this video)
2. People overtaking
3. People switching lanes erratically / panicking / not knowing what to do in certain situations
If drivers are cautious, wait for all lanes to be clear before emerging and do not overtake, it gives everyone else a lot more space to correct errors.
In the first clip I think I would lay all the blame on the Audi. Their sole goal was to get around the roundabout as quickly as possible with little regard for safety, it is a road junction after all where we should all be proceeding with caution. At the point the Red Corsa started to pull away the Audi was a long way off, not indicating, and had loads of time to react. Had they been travelling a bit slower there would not have been an incident. PS. Just ordered the replacement for my Golf, it's going for similar reasons to yours :)
The Audi was treating the roundabout like its personal racing circuit.
@@88balloonsonthewall70 most Audi drivers do
Not saying it was justice that they crashed and rolled onto their side... but it's not-not justice.
100% agree with you, that audi driver seemed to be deliberately bullying his way in to the exit to make a point that he had right of way, had plenty of opportunity to avoid the incident and as you say was going too fast anyway. Should be done for reckless driving, no place for them on the road while they have that ego.
Bit of a stretch but I wonder if they did a test for cocaine and what the result was..
Edit
Also, insurance would find the Audi driver completely at fault here and if police turned up (and probably would due to the roll/obstruction/injury) a driving without due care and attention charge is realistic.
The long and short of it is that the Corsa was on the roundabout for several seconds before the collision and therefore the Audi has no defence. If he wasn't high on coke, I'd bet he was one of those mad dashcam drivers that like to engineer an incident.
I have to agree that most of the blame was the Audi's to bear.
1. Going way too fast
2. Doesn't react to the other car at all
The red Corsa perhaps could've waited a bit longer, but the Audi driver was going too fast. If you freeze the video at ~3:46, I don't think the Corsa driver can see the Audi -- it probably looks clear. If the Audi is going even a little slower, it's a non-issue.
The Audi driver literally had 5 seconds to observe the Corsa and adjust their speed and/or change into the left lane. Ultimately, if the Audi had been going slower I don't think this would've happened.
*edit - as another commenter has pointed out, it's likely that the Audi assumes the Corsa is exiting at the first junction in the left lane, but it's actually continuing around to the next exit, so that does add another bit of nuance. However, the speed and the arrogance of the Audi driver is the issue here -- they just assume the world will re-arrange itself to allow a safe exit.
Nice video there Ashley and one thing I notice on some roundabouts, especially when they are on dual carriageways with minor single lane roads on the side exits, is that drivers wrongly assume you are taking the dual carriageway and don’t wait.
There is one I use regularly where I am turning right, if I signal too early drivers think I am taking the exit into lane 2, if I signal at the correct time, drivers emerge into lane 1 as I al in lane 2. The solution…
Drive around the roundabout as I drive around all roundabouts, cautiously and watching those on and looking to emerge and if necessary slow down for those that do emerge in error.
It worries me greatly that people are in such a rush to reach the next red light 5 seconds earlier than they would by waiting that they are willing to risk injury to do it.
Remember, there is no harm in going around again if needed and the brake pedal is better on a roundabout than the horn or shouting
Ah, looks like a continuation of the "Give way to both lanes of the roundabout" principle. Will watch this with great interest. Greetings from Birmingham, visiting for Grand Designs Live. A non event drive up from Canterbury yesterday...by putting to practice many of the principles learned from Ashley over the years. Still room for self improvement, as always!
Greeting from Staffordshire not too far away from Birmingham. You have chosen a good weekend to be here with the last hoorah of summer before autumn kicks in full swing
Have a good time there 👍
@@smilerbob Hello there. Yes, here for three nights, yesterday being the first. Will be going into Birmingham city centre today via train from the NEC for some sightseeing e.g. the canals and the very modern library plus a few other places. Tomorrow at Grand Designs Live and then back to Canterbury on Monday. Stopped off at Waterperry Gardens near Oxford on the way up and it's lovely. Third time visiting there.
Anyhow, hope all is well with you and have a great weekend. I'm still catching up on Ashley's driving and cycling videos.
I remember believing this when I first passed. After a close call I decided it was a bad idea and started giving way to both lanes. Glad to learn I’ve been accidentally doing it right!
With regards to other countries, UK roads can be complex because we have a lot of multi-lane roads and roundabouts which are quite rare in some places.
Another difference is that here at least (Netherlands) you exit a multi-lane roundabout from the outside lane only and so you *can* emerge onto a roundabout if the lane you want to enter is clear. Only if there's a car on the inner lane indicating they're moving towards the outside one are you supposed to wait.
this is an excellent lesson and I will certainly follow this, I think I do, but also raises awareness that some drivers will pull out and to watch out for this.
Wow! Do people think that? I wouldn’t dare emerge until nothing was coming at all. It’s the main reason I'm not too fond of roundabouts.
I’m well aware of the dangers of this from a terrible roundabout near where I live with three lanes of traffic, where there are always delays and also the odd coalitions.
I do like the use of 'coalitions' instead of 'collisions'; a much better word, and no, I'm not being sarcastic.
Word of advice. Never go to Milton Keynes. You're going to hate it
@@Peter_Vidgeonyes, as in working together,👍
There are other reasons to dislike Milton Keynes besides the roundabouts.
@@paulsengupta971 idk.
Thank you for the upload Brother! Regarding the 1st clip at first inspection I do not know if you can leave the roundabout at the exit the driver did from the outside lane: however; large & or restricted lane exit roundabouts always have road markings & usually signs prior to & sometimes on the roundabout giving clear instructions, also due to todays drivers behaviours, always best to drive defensively especially near to high density population areas during rush-hour!!!
Also & most IMPORTANTLY: you ALWAYS GIVE WAY TO YOUR right ON A ROUNDABOUT!!!
The way I see driving now, especially after watching Ashley's videos, is I am in control of what I'm doing within the car, but never to presume or assume what someone else is going to do. This works in this scenario perfectly. Dont presume the car is going round the roundabout. Just hold back and wait until its clear
Two things my driving instructor said to me on the first day:
1) Assume everyone else on the road is an idiot
2) Self preservation (i.e. don't get yourself into situations where you could be in danger, of which, not giving way to all lanes on a roundabout is one).
This is the kind of content that I love the most. Some DVLA fund should find its way to your account for such valuable and available information.
Thanks Ash, it’s so much appreciated!
How about a free online resource, the Highway Code. Its online, and its free, THE RUKES ARE CLEAR IN bLACK AND wHITE.
Ash, thanks for replying to my video I sent the other day. That roundabout I was on is a nightmare, so I’m always super aware of “barging”. I want to be an instructor so trying my best to learn to be even better.
I told you I had something in the pipeline! Your clip would've fitted in with this video perfectly, but it was made a couple of months ago.
@@ashley_neal no worries - I can see it would have done. Still gonna keep learning - thank you for taking the time to reply 😊
@@ashley_neal I blame the fact that 40 years ago the HC had as an alternative route through a roundabout for straight ahead the ability to straight line them using both lanes to do so so switching from the neaside lane approaching them to nearside to rounadabout kerb lane then back to nearside exiting roundabout. This all done of course with full observations and if as said in the HC then if traffic dictates, this led to the expectancy that the give way lines meant at the roundabout entrance that it means exactly that and you should wait for all traffic from the right too pass no matter what.
The HC does no longer shows this illistration and maintains you should stick to your lane no matter what when going straight ahead so has bought about that they must do this and therefore it's OK to enter the roundabout as the car on the roundabout should not enter the nearside lane on exiting the roundabout if kerbside lane to roundabout is where the car is that is coming from the right.
@rustydusty2992
Yes, that diagram you mention is no longer there, however, I don't think the highway code gives any expectation that the left lane can be just used safely for a left turn if there's a vehicle approaching in the right lane on the roundabout.
(I don't think you are saying that's what it says, I think you are saying that many users misinterpret what's in the highway code and that's the cause of this problem. What I'm saying is that to me it still seems fairly clear that you have to be aware of roundabout users in all lanes, so I don't think the highway code is at fault, but maybe you are right and people misunderstand it. However, I'm not sure that's the case, I think some users don't know it well enough or don't care.)
Here's why I think the highway code shows that vehicles in the right lane on a roundabout might move left when exiting and therefore why I wouldn't say the highway code is causing this problem.
Most obvious to me is the diagram in rule 185. The vehicle turning right (green) is shown exiting using either the left or right lane.
So, to someone (e.g., the white car) approaching or waiting at the junction at the top-left of the diagram (the exit before the one that the green car turning right is taking), there is a car approaching in the right/inside lane in the roundabout, they could still be indicating right, but they might be about to leave at the next exit and could move across to the left lane when doing so.
The car turning right (green) should change their indicator to left after they pass the exit before the one they want (the exit where the white car is), but they might forget or change late. Even if they indicate left, there's no way to know if that means they will exit in the left or the right lane (and on some roundabouts there might only be one lane on the exit road anyway).
So, I'd say the white car can't assume that the left lane will be clear for them.
Rule 185 says to give priority to traffic approaching from the right, it doesn't say that only applies to traffic in the leftmost lane on the roundabout.
It also says "watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all". That's all users, not just the left lane. So this would include watching out for users in the right lane who might be about to move across to the left lane or might be about to exit using the left lane and might not be indicating left.
Rule 186 says about turning right, "keep to the right on the roundabout until you need to change lanes to exit the roundabout", because of course they will need to change to or at least cross the left lane in order to exit, and depending on the size, layout and markings of the roundabout, they may need to do this as or just after they pass the exit before the one they intend to leave at. Of course, they should check left before moving left, but at the point they check, the car that's about to enter might still be stationary, it could be obscured by the window pillar, road signs, other vehicles, etc., and even if they see the car approaching/waiting, they may well assume that the car will give priority to them because that's what's supposed to happen.
So, the person joining shouldn't assume they've been seen and shouldn't assume that the users in the roundabout will make any allowance for them joining even if they have been seen.
@@neilp1885 It is a lot of problems but the one diagram I mentioned is that it implies that straightlining is strictley forbidden when the reply from the DOT when I have questioned it in the past agreed with me it's as and when traffic dictates that it's Ok and each case of straightlining should be taken on it's merrits on a case by case basis.
There is also the bullying issue as (your in the inside lane you have to continue to use it) attitude by those that are inpatiant to enter the roundabout etc.
Impatience must surely be a big factor in the decision to go. Both from the driver themselves, as well as the pressure from behind
As you know I’ve not been driving that long,but I always make sure that both lanes coming around a roundabout have cleared before safely emerging. Some people can’t even get a single lane roundabout correct. Had a Range Rover pull out in front of us on a mini roundabout last night, too busy looking down (mobile phone!) Why wouldn’t your eyes be on the road?
Cars should be equipped with a Faraday cage to block any radio signals, incredible how many people are happy to be glued to their phone at any speed.
@@alastairward2774 but emerging onto a roundabout without looking is just asking for trouble imo. Wish I saved the clip
When I learnt to drive in 1984 I was taught to use both lanes to proceed forward unless road direction markings indicate different.
I was told if travelling further than straight ahead treat the roundabout as a clock and stay in lane 2 if passing 12 o'clock or more than halfway.
Being a motorcycle rider shoulder checks comes natural and my bike awareness can be applied whilst driving in 4 wheels.
Everything that you said I was taught 35 years ago. I am astonished that the views expressed on the first clip are even considered. However I genuinely have been tooted at roundabouts recently in the left hand lane for not emerging quickly enough but if this thought process is becoming prevelant it explains alot.
Spot on Ashley.
Why would you want to drive into potential danger?
Arrogance, ignorance or impatience.
Your video fixes the second and hopefully addresses the first and third!
The instructions in this country appear to have changed somewhere in the early 2000’s, I have a Highway Code from the early 90’s (possibly late 80’s) that shows a vehicle entering from the bottom, going right, going onto the inside round the roundabout and exiting into the right hand lane with the left hand lane an alternate, if clear. Also people think a roundabout as one action when it’s a series of smaller actions, joining, navigating and leaving. I did my car test with the local police advanced/pursuit instructor (before 1990) and my bike test with a biker paramedic (before 2000) they both instructed with similar style, a multi lane roundabout is a self contained dual carriageway, the lane you approach in dictates which lane you go into and (baring additional lane instructions) which lane you leave into. I think people these days completely fail to indicate correctly when they are moving lanes and everyone tries to do them as fast as possible with a complete lack of observation. On a standard 4 road, dual carriageway roundabout, if I am entering from the 6 position, left hand lane, someone entering from the 3 position, right hand lane, both of us going to the 12 position road, using the “old” instructions we can both circle the roundabout at the same time and exit into our respective lanes. Standards have dropped now and we can’t do that as the car from the 3 position would try to “chop” the exit into the left lane, even if they then intend to then go straight back into the right hand lane. (Incidentally chopping the exit is illegal in most other countries and will get you a ticket yet seems to be the norm taught here)
Agree with absolutely everything except the dual carriageway emerge. You'll be sat waiting forever if you're going to sit and wait for the whole carriageway to be clear in both lanes. I teach people to look for signals of those in the overtaking lane that might be coming back over or to look for signals of people in the left lane moving over to allow us room to pull out alongside them. I teach them to do it with the things in mind that I've mentioned and never had a problem and I also mention about how we should allow the vehicle that's moved over for us, to come in back in front of us out of courtesy. They may have moved temporarily but need the following exit so we don't want to block them from moving back over. Observations from both parties should be enough to keep each other safe but it is the vehicle that's emerging that is responsible for doing so safely.
The further issue is that a lot of two lane roundabouts are very badly marked. As a non local, if the markings are worn, it's hard to tell whether there's going to be two lanes on the exit. That does not, however, excuse the driver waiting to emerge on to the roundabout.
Here in Spain, roundabouts are treated as circular roads so if you want to leave the roundabout, you must be in the outer lane. Also, in the outer lane, you can continue without having to exit the roundabout. Also, if the outer lane is clear, you may enter the roundabout and it is the responsibility of the driver changing lanes to make sure it is safe to do so.
What’s the point in having an inner lane if that’s the case?
@@spiderbootsy for the same reason you have dual carriageways.
On very large motorway roundabouts ie the under pass, I’ve pulled out going left when roundabout not completely clear of traffic in the outer lane, otherwise I don’t though probably have at some point. This was a very useful lesson as I think everyone from time to time abuses roundabouts seeing a gap and rushing for it.
Thanks for sharing this ash. I also give way to both lanes on a roundabout and have been tooted from behind to go. It’s good to know iam doing the correct thing. 😁
Back when I was learning to drive, I was taught that all cars on a roundabout (no matter the lane) have right of way, and to wait for a car to safely pass on the inner lane before tucking in as you described. Making sure you know where that inner car is going before joining.
I have had plenty of cars beep at me to go when there is a roundabout section that seems to curve off to the left as if it's falsely like its own lane to follow. But it's still a roundabout junction, and should be treated as such. I always feel the pressure and made to feel like I am in the wrong for waiting, but know full well I'm not!
I feel like there needs to be a lot more focus on roundabouts, not just from learning to use them, but from building and design side!
There is a roundabout near me that has failed people on their tests purely because the painted sign on the ground is in error and has still yet to be rectified.
There are some roundabouts that are just so so poorly designed, even with correct signage, I've ended up in the wrong position because an exit is a split second wide and hasn't been give a proper exit time/design. Leading to have to loop round again haha
Thanks for clarifying this. It’s an area I wasn’t too up on.
A related point is that I think those on the roundabout need to be clearer with their signals.
Too many times I see cars using exit 1 on a roundabout without indicating left. This forces drivers using the entry at exit 1 to keep off the roundabout in case those using the roundabout want to leave at exit 2 etc. It bunches up traffic at the roundabout unnecessarily.
6.25 thank you so much for clearing this up! I'm newly passed and have had people beep me for waiting for both lanes to be clear. I was starting to doubt myself 😅
Very nice and important point ..very well explained.thank you
6:26 Interesting point and definitely the safest mindset to have... but what about joining a busy 3 lane motorway? The safest course of action would be to wait until all 3 lanes are clear but that's not really practical in a lot of busy scenarios. So then, what if it's a really busy dual carriageway and, for example, oncoming traffic has moved across from lane 1 to lane 2 to give space to let you out? I think in this scenario, it may be sensible to join with care.
Motorways have slip roads to let you get up to speed before joining the carriageway. It is possible that somebody from lane 2 might cut into the space you were going for in lane 1 but a small adjustment of speed should sort that out. If it happened and there really was nowhere to go, I’d consider using the hard shoulder to escape.
This was just my thought. Given the volume of traffic when joining dual carriage ways and the volume of traffic joining the dual carriage way I suspect MOST cars will be joining lane one when it is clear and not waiting for the whole road to clear. I know as a matter of habit I change to the second lane as a matter of habit to allow vehicles to join in lane one.
I have never known what to do in that situation but to me the safer option was to wait for both lanes to be clear, so glad I was doing it correctly. However, I have been known to just slide out of roundabouts and I'll own up to that
This misperception may occur because the inside lane is sometimes very slow moving or stopped, and full of traffic. So if you waited for both lanes to be clear you would be there forever. Unfortunately, over time that gets into peoples perception of how roundabouts work, even when the traffic gets moving again.
The flexibility of roundabout design has been taken to the limit, with so many permutations and combinations that some drivers struggle to cope with them, especially if the driver is unfamiliar with the roundabout in question.
I think the confusion comes when there are multiple lanes on all exits, not just on the main approaches. Say 2 lanes on all approaches. I think some people assume that if you are going straight from the right lane, you will leave in the right lane (which of course you will if there is someone alongside you, but won't necessarily if there isn't)
I always enjoy your vids and I will make a few points of view here. Firstly, when you were turning left onto that first island you really didn't need to signal left. A left signal would be of no use to any other road users who were close by. The traffic behind you waiting in the left lane to turn left couldn't go anywhere until you had moved and the traffic opposite on the other side of the road wouldn't even see your signal. A signal wouldn't be expected by traffic coming from the right as you would automatically give way to them and they wouldn't be able to see your left signal anyway. The really interesting thing here (something I learned from my advanced driver training way back in the 80's) is that when you are pulling out onto the road at the angle that you were, you're actually pulling out to the right into the traffic so a right hand signal would make more sense because you were pulling out into moving traffic and not actually turning left. The other point I would like to make is that I would slowly approach the roundabout while waiting for a gap in the traffic rather than driving straight up to the give way line stopping dead and then sitting there and keep looking back straining my old and severely arthritic neck.
Following on from this, people should also be aware of what is known as "habit signalling". This is where drivers are in a lane that is clearly marked for left or right turning traffic only but they still sit there fourteenth in the queue frantically signalling. A great example of this is when you are behind a car and they suddenly stop, turn right into a junction and halfway into the turn signal right as if the signal helps them to turn right. Luckily you and I and most people on this channel know what these crazy people re going to do before they do it.
Just to mention here something that has happened to me a few times at mainly small traffic islands where I live. We all know the rules that say you should give way to traffic coming from the right at roundabouts. However, most people don't know that you have the right of way until the vehicle approaching from the right actually reaches the give way line on the roundabout. I've often had people blasting their horns at me who were 10 or 15 yards away from their line when I had already driven over my line.
Great vids mate keep them coming. Thank you.
I totally agree - and this has been a really useful video for me personally.
On one particular roundabout near me I'm just going to have to get used to waiting a hell of a long time for to pull out.
I'm so glad I came across this video. I thought I was going insane. I was always told to wait if cars were coming around the roundabout regardless of lane and the amount of times I've seen people not do this is astonishing! I'm glad I wasn't going mad.
Currently learning roundabouts at the moment so this is very helpful, they're not as tricky as I used to think but I've only been on small ones 😅 three lane roundabouts will be a challenge!
You need to make sure the whole roundabout is clear before entering, I try not to enter a roundabout unless I'm certain it's safe for me to go, I can hesitate at times judging speed of a car coming around even though it's safe but that will just come with more practice :)
I was taught (by two driving instructors in the 1990s) never to change lanes on a roundabout - so sliding over is a no-no if there are two lanes leading off the roundabout. It wasn't until lane markings started telling me to change lanes that I got confused and realised that something had changed in how people are taught. (I also never trust people to do what I expect)
Exactly! When people and I turn off to the exit we switch lanes. And that's why I'm careful coming onto a roundabout and try to make sure both lanes are clear. That's probably the reason alot or roundabouts don't have road markings for that reason
In Hong Kong, where we follow the UK rules as the base point, we have some busy THREE-lane roundabouts. What we see there can be quite gnarly. And that's on top of the many, many two-lane roundabouts.
I was taught in the 80s; that if you entered in the right lane, you exited in the right lane with the option to exit in the left lane ONLY if it was clear to do so with an over-the-left-shoulder look and NEVER to change lanes ON a roundabout. This allowed for better flow of traffic, saving someone having to wait for ages to enter and then leave on their first exit, waiting for lane 2 to become empty, even if vehicles on the roundabout were continuing round. However it seems now, drivers think that they should always exit in the left lane no matter what, rather than using the lane provided. Also, regarding moving from lane 2 to lane 1 on a dual-carriageway, again I was taught NOT to do so at junctions to allow vehicles to exit that junction.
I do this in one situation only - when I'm in a fully laden HGV in heavy (rush hour) traffic, I'm taking the first exit onto a multi lane road, and there is a stream of single file traffic all following the inside of the roundabout. An example would be turning left at a flyover roundabout onto a multi lane dual carriageway with a multi lane slip road. This means I remain in the left hand lane, AND traffic on the roundabout has the option to simply overtake me into lane 2 of the slip road. I make my intentions very clear by hugging the left hand side of the road and indicating left. I'd say 80% of people are cool with this, 15% are unsure (and hold back), and 5% will give me the horn. It's not as per the HWC, but it works very well to keep traffic flowing (the road I'm emerging FROM is notorious for long tailbacks) and, whilst annoying a very small minority of people, has never created an unsafe situation.
Brilliantly shown and explained. Think long term drivers and new can and should watch your channel.
I seem to vaguely remember my driving instructor giving me one situation where you could emerge like this, something like if you’re going first exit left and there’s a car in the inside lane indicating right. But since I could never remember it exactly, I’ve always played it safe and waited for the whole roundabout.
Perhaps if you've just seen that vehicle enter from the junction immediately before yours, indicate right, and move into the right lane. They shouldn't be leaving at the next exit (your left), so you *might* be safe to go. However, that driver might have made a mistake and might want the next exit and might suddenly take it, or they might be 'straight lining' the roundabout and accidentally or mistakenly have their right indicator on.
In general, as shown in the diagram in highway code rule 185, a vehicle in the right lane might exit using either lane. See the vehicle turning right (green), which is shown exiting using either the left or right lane.
So, to someone (e.g., the white car in the diagram) approaching or waiting at the junction at the top-left of the diagram (the exit before the one that the green car turning right is taking), there is a car approaching in the right/inside lane in the roundabout, they could still be indicating right, but they might be about to leave at the next exit and could move across to the left lane when doing so.
The car turning right (green) should change their indicator to left after they pass the exit before the one they want (the exit where the white car is), but they might forget or change late. Even if they indicate left, there's no way to know if that means they will exit in the left or the right lane (and on some roundabouts there might only be one lane on the exit road anyway).
So, I'd say the white car can't assume that the left lane will be clear for them.
Rule 185 says to give priority to traffic approaching from the right, it doesn't say that only applies to traffic in the leftmost lane on the roundabout.
It also says "watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all". That's all users, not just the left lane. So this would include watching out for users in the right lane who might be about to move across to the left lane or might be about to exit using the left lane and might not be indicating left.
Of course everyone will need to change to or at least cross the left lane in order to exit, and depending on the size, layout and markings of the roundabout, they may need to do this as or just after they pass the exit before the one they intend to leave at. They should check left before moving left, but at the point they check, the car that's about to enter might still be stationary, it could be obscured by the window pillar, road signs, plants, other vehicles, etc., and even if they see the car approaching/waiting, they may well assume that the car will give priority to them because that's what's supposed to happen.
So, the person joining shouldn't assume they've been seen and shouldn't assume that the users in the roundabout will make any allowance for them joining even if they have been seen.
The problem is also lane discipline, cut back in too soon, and the car that should have waited gets taken out, I realise to wrongs don't make a right, I have been driving over forty odd years, and have always, as Ashley said, given way to both lanes, its the safest option
I made this exact mistake on my test a few years back, I don't know why I knew it was wrong yet for some reason I panicked and went. Thought for sure I'd failed so I was more relaxed for the rest of the test since I thought it didn't matter, but at the end I was shocked when the examiner gave me a pass. I actually asked about it and he said yeah it wasn't great but only a minor since I didn't cause the car on the inside lane to brake or swerve. In a way I guess it was a good thing since the change in mindset after it happened probably helped me pass since in my anxiety I probably would've panicked and made a worse mistake.
I would add that internet says this about UK: "Turning Right: You’ll need to move into the left lane before exiting - so check your blind spot while doing this with a quick glance over your left shoulder. Once in the left lane you’re ready to exit."
There's nothing like that in other European countries I'm familiar with. You can exit from inside lane there, but not UK.
I did this on one of my driving lessons, almost 20 years ago now. It was the only time that my instructor took the controls.
I am in the Netherlands so our road rules may be a little different to the UK but broadly they are the same. However one thing that is very common here are raised lane dividers on roundabouts. Personally I think they are great because they force people to stay in lane, something not everyone seems to do, and they also allow you to safely do what your viewer mistakenly did because you know the vehicle on the roundabout is not going to change lanes.
You did say that if you were going further round than the second exit then you must be in the right hand lane. Now we drive on the right side of the road here so I'll flip my example to make it suitable for people in the UK. There is a roundabout near us that has four exits. From one particular direction it is clearly marked on the approach (both on signs and on the road) that the right lane is for going right and the left lane is for going left, straight on, or right. Yet people routinely get in the right hand lane to go right and form a queue and then they often get upset when people use the clearly marked left lane to go right.
Obviously this roundabout layout is unusual, but the raised lane dividers and the road markings mean that using either lane to turn right is quite safe but it seems strange that someone who chooses to use the right lane would then get upset at someone using the lane with no queue.
Great that you covered this topic, it doesn't get enough attention and I notice it every day, both in my car and even more so on my motorcycle.
Other issues are vehicles coming onto and going off roundabouts is when there's 2 designated lanes turning right onto a dual carriageway, vehicles in the right hand lane don't stay in their lane until it's clear to move over into the left hand lane once exiting the roundabout, instead they'll just move across into the lane before they have exited the roundabout and without checking (or maybe they don't care) there's another vehicle in the left lane, basically there's a lack of lane discipline on roundabouts like that! The trick to roundabouts is the timing on approach observing what's coming so there's no need to give way, a lot of people wait until they're at a roundabout stop then they've lost all momentum which means more than likely they'll be something coming, this then causes congestion and all because people don't pay enough attention.
The rules in Norway are basically that you have to give way to everyone already inside the roundabout. However, this does not mean that you can't enter if someone is on the opposite side of said roundabout, rather that your entry must not force others to react in any way. I also feel that it is strating to become more common for drivers to communicate where they're going by using indicators; right if you're exiting, left if you're driving more than halfway around. Of course we drive on the *right* side of the road, so if you live in, say, the UK and thus drive on the wrong side, you should swap which indicator you're using...
Love your videos Ashley, please keep them coming!
I never thought much about merging on to a two lane road, always would do my best to anticipate if they were going to switch lanes (and sometimes they do) but now I'll hold back to be certain of avoiding a bad situation.
I know the roundabout in the first clip very well, by Tesco Wellingborough. The problem with this area is it has a very high traffic volume and lots of vehicles approaching from different areas - including 2 exits off the A45. There was an accident just prior to the roundabout only yesterday. The main problem is the speed people drive at, even the 40 limit is too much and hardly anyone obeys that! There is a lot of pressure to go quickly as traffic soon builds up in all directions, but you have to wait for a safe opportunity.
I feel like the problem is almost every roundabout in Britain is slightly different, frankly poorly or unintuitively designed, and without lane markings. Lane markings alone make things a lot clearer.
Ive had one collision and several near misses in 10 years driving and almost all of them were on multi lane roundabouts.
Thank you for covering this - it's music to my ears. I've had this happen to me on several occasions and they act like they are in right.
A major reason people often fail to give way on roundabouts is because they're just too busy and if you give way until a gap appears, it never will and you will be stuck there for hours with a queue building up behind you. Priority-only roundabouts just don't work at busy junctions, and they result in a combination of long queues and people trying to force their way out as people on the roundabout speed round it. I see this all the time at junctions on the old dual carriageways in west London.
But if they're busy, then there's usually going to be traffic which will occasionally block the traffic from your right, giving you the chance to go around safely. Sometimes you have to wait, which can be nerve wracking if there's a queue behind you, but people need to avoid getting pressured into driving into a high risk situation. It's exactly at busy roundabouts that people will suddenly change lane because they didn't realise their exit was coming up that quickly etc, and so a high chance of a collision.
As you said, rules are different on the continent. I find them better as they are simpler. The inside lane is just a spare lane to allow traffic to flow - used by cars to turn left. People are taught 1) to exit from the outside lane only 2) slide in the outside lane one exit before. No one assumes that the person in the outside lane is going to leave at the next exit. Lorry drivers are actually trained to use the outside lane only to avoid people moving into their blind spots. I find ground markings just make things more confusing especially at night, raining, or when the driver doesn't know the area, the abbreviated names of the nearby cities, or English.
That slide across or spiral out at the previous turning is always an issue even if you are signalling, those coming out of that previous turning will pull out because you are currently in the other lane and wont let you in to make your exit at the next turn. As a result most european drivers go the whole way round in the same lane. They only use the other lane for an agressive overtake and carve up. They should close all their roundabouts down to one lane. Not resident in Spain but here a few months of the year.
@@bofor3948 there can always be the odd idiot. But generally speaking, I found Spaniards use roundabouts quite well…
Formation flying with total strangers, is a comment made to me by a police driving instructor, many years ago and it hasn't changed. I know it would be hard to inforce now, but I beleive we should be the same as Germany, in that you should have to use indicators at every change or direction or lane change. We shouldn't be given the choice as so many people now don't understand when they should use them.
I was driving in Malta a couple of months ago, and whilst most driving was very similar to the UK, the one thing to be wary of, is that people will go any direction on a roundabout, from any lane. People would often go all the way round the roundabout to go back the way we joined from, in the left lane.
5:12 I can confirm. As a Spaniard, our law dictates that the correct way to do a roundabout is on the outside lane, no matter what exit you're taking. The inside lanes are only "recommended" to alleviate traffic.
It's an antiquated law from back when traffic was insignificant compared to now. Over time, drivers have adapted to this without any actual input from the government, so people use the inside lanes, but not properly. This has resulted in a very uncomfortable combination, where people who have been driving for decades are using the inside lanes but also not bothering to switch lanes before exiting, and newer drivers doing entire roundabouts in the outside lane because that's what driving schools teach. If you spend any amount of time on a Spanish city, I recommend you simply grab your camera and spend 2 minutes next to a roundabout, I guarantee you'll see at least someone exiting from the inside and cutting someone else off.
I passed my test almost a year ago, but I still remember my driving instructor telling me that he was aware that the situation was absurd, but the industry seems to have come to the agreement that the most reliable way for learners to pass their test is to teach them to do roundabouts exactly as the antiquated law says and then pray that they develop some better habits once they have their license.
Ash: I don't think the roundabout rules are very much different around europe. I drive round to the uk from norway every summer and i don't see any country on that route with a general rule that the roundabout inside lane must give way to cars entering the roundabout. The french certainly have roundabouts where cars on the roundabout must give way to traffic entering, but that's both lanes and those roundabouts are generally well marked. Some countries have also had general rules in the past that you only indicate when leaving the roundabout. Norway is one of these, but new drivers here are now taught to indicate on approach too.
In general though, i would say that the UK is worse than other countries in that there are so many different (often confusingly imaginative) roundabout designs. Other countries seem to keep the layout more standardised.
I drove for three weeks in France on my summer holidays. I agree that nearly all of their round abouts were simple and clear. I also found that in general people took much smaller gaps on entry to the round about. The type that in the UK would have people beeping at them and closing the space down. But their driving culture was much more tolerant, it's like they all understood the difficulty of getting a gap on a busy round about and would just slow a bit and let things flow. It was refreshing to see.
Motorway separation distances though were atrocious!
@@pocky1scot1 Yeah, they tailgate with the left indicator flashing. That is annoying
I made this exact same mistake during my last mock test lesson, went to pull out onto a dual carriageway when it was clear in the left lane and not the right. Wish i had learnt this before. Great video as always
This should be required viewing for all drivers, thank you 👍
If you pull out while traffic is on the inside of the roundabout, you do run the high risk of someone sliding over for the next turn off, just like emerging onto a two lane road . Indicators are not always used correctly either. Ashley is right you should wait until both lanes are clear, trouble is people feel pressured by vehicles behind on busy roundabouts. Just last week had a lorry hit the back of me, just slid over into my lane, on a roundabout. They had no idea I was there, luckily I was not a biker. I tried the Ashley method of not being opposite another vehicle but other vehicles made this impossible.
I think that poor or no indication also compounds this problem.
Agreed, after no indication not giving way to both lanes is the second most regular bad driving occurrence I see on roundabouts. I often find myself giving way for no reason to someone who exits without indicating.
I definitely remember being taught to give way to all traffic to my right, at a roundabout. In practice, there are times when you can see it will be safe to "slip round" from the left lane onto the first exit, but the onus is on you to do it safely, as traffic that was already on the roundabout absolutely has the right of way.
I'm now in Texas, where there are very few roundabouts and nobody has the slightest idea how to drive them. I basically wait to see what everyone else is trying to do, because it's basically "roll the dice" :P
Also, just because you correctly use the right hand lane of the roundabout, because you are turning right. If you're existing on to a dual carriageway, some people expect you to, exit in to, and stay in that lane. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can exit in to the left or right lane from the roundabout, in this situation.
I'd never be arrogant enough to think I'm a great driver or that I'd never make the mistakes we see in these videos. For the roundabouts I was sort of relieved to know I'm doing everything right...I think.
However, I now realise that I need to check what I do when I emerge from my residential street onto a main road. I think I check for traffic in both lanes and don't assume that a car in lane 2 will always stay there, but right now I'm unsure.
A good video.
Good video. I do as correctly shown here. If turning (say 3o'clock right) on a roundabout....I often favour avoiding crossing to lane 1 on exit so as to avoid risk of collisions with those that pull out and turn left into lane 1. Riding a motorcycle has helped me increase my vigilance.
I always thought it was clear, and simple, and we give way to our right. Seems too many people misinterpret "watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout" as "If I can get on the roundabout first I can take priority". It's just selfishness and the MGIF mentality.
I'd like Ashley to do a video on tiny button style rightabouts.
I've seen people who because they are on the "main" road they think they have priority over traffic already on the roundabout.
Also people effectively going round them the wrong way. E.g 2 cars directly opposite each other on a medium size roundabout, both can pull out and go round. However scale down to a tiny roundabout and people do alsorts, e.g. don't stop, don't look, assume right of way rather than give way, and turn directly where they want to go effectively cutting the roundabout out.
Edit: maybe better describe by 2 cars directly facing each other, no other cars so neither had a car to there right. Some assume no car to the right means they have right of way and will turn right by cutting out the roundabout and point the car 45deg right.
I didn't realise this was a thing until now. Anyone with any driving experience should know not all roundabouts are the same. Its quite common to go straight ahead in the right lane especially on dual carriageways. Or any number of different road layouts. It just makes sense to wait until you know what the other cars are going to do before pulling out
Great topic to cover, amazes me how many people aren't terrified doing this, I know it would me in most cases. That said, I admit doing this on one roundabout that's crossing a motorway junction/roundabout. I have local knowledge doing that roundabout, know which lanes go where for wherever the traffic's coming from, and make sure I emerge at a time and speed so I'll still be staggered in the tiniest chance they were in the wrong lane. But would I recommend that? No I wouldn't, as I'm sure I'd be found at fault in some way if the worst happened.
This seems to be happening way more recently, even my wife thought it was the correct approach when we very nearly had a collision. I told her that I never undertake on a roundabout unless clearly safe and always give way to whatever traffic is there. My dad taught me to give way to anything or anyone past the give way line or the dashed line entering a junction and it's stood me in good stead tbh
Always taught to give way to the right. So when it's absolutely clear I can progress. Also if I'm ever in any doubt about the signals a car/driver is giving off, I'll hold back/wait
I had similar happen today - baring in mind I'm in a 3 tonne Range Rover 😂
Old boy in a white Tiguan indicates and looks to exit from where I'm entering, then suddenly swings out as I've set off, almost ploughing in to the side of me, blasts at me, then goes on to tailgate me. What a tool.
I'm inclined to agree based on the perspective we are shown in Ashley's video.
I currently have to disagree with Ashley's comment regarding the Corsa moving out. From the camera perspective, the driver of the Corsa has lifted the clutch before the Audi is in view from the Corsa's perspective. I find this is a common problem these days. The islands are far larger than yesteryear and cars appear very quickly, as does the Audi. Also the Audi appears to have turned in front of the Corsa causing it to flip.
100% The Audi's Fault if you slow the video down to speed 0.25 you can see the corsa start to move off just as the Audi comes in to view which must be 50 yards away more he sees the corsa and thinks I'm not having this assumes it's taking the first exit and not going straight on, He then accelerates to get past instead of hanging back letting the corsa carry out it's manoeuvre resulting in the collision. Also if the Audi had been doing a sensible speed for a roundabout this would of been a non event.
I believe there are also training models out there regarding roundabouts, on the internet, which show if you are making a right turn and you are in the inside lane, when you leave you must remain in lane 2 on the exit. This in turn free's up lane 1 and this is where people could misinterpret that as their lane is free, they can make a quick left at the 1st exit unimpeded.
Wow. I've never even thought about this before. I mean, I've never encountered this sort of problem on a roundabout before. I've always given way to both lanes - it's just common sense (for the reasons outlined in the video).
The one that annoys me is when the left lane approaching a roundabout is designated "left turn only", but someone in that lane then goes straight on, effectively cutting across a lane when there often isn't room.
My instructor taught me the same as you teach your students, especially these days where some people dont even bother indicating, if there's an unknown, never chance it.
hi Ashley i was taught not to change lanes when you are in lane two coming of a roundabout into a two lane road, only to change to lane one once you are of the roundabout. but that said i do wait until it clear before i move on to the roundabout. i know dont sit next to any cars on the roundabout thanks to you :}