A question has been sent to the Arrive Alive website about driving at a roundabout / traffic circle. We would like to share the response from our road safety expert, Gavin Hoole and Author of the Book “Pass Your Learner’s Easily
“Here is my take on this particular question, based on the rules of the road and the K53 procedures for changing lanes and for turning at an intersection.
• There is no rule of the road that states which lane you must drive in while within a roundabout.
• Traffic conditions prior to reaching the roundabout may prevent you from changing lanes prior to reaching the roundabout anyway. So, you may have no option with regard to what lane to use within the roundabout. No blame can therefore be apportioned to either driver for using a “wrong” lane. The answer lies not in the roundabout rules, but in the rules related to changing lanes anywhere and to turning left at an intersection.
• The rules and K53 driving system require the following safety checks – in ordinary language (not the Act’s legalese):
• Changing lane to the left:
o Before changing lanes, check in the mirrors to see if it is safe to signal.
o Check in the left blind spot.
o If it is safe to change lanes, signal to the left.
o Check the left blind spot again.
o If safe, steer into the lane to the left and position the vehicle in the lane.
o Cancel the signal.
• Turning left at an intersection (the basic safety checks only in the correct sequence):
o Before turning, check in the mirrors.
o Check in the left blind spot.
o If it is safe to turn, signal left.
o Check the left blind spot again.
o Check in the mirrors.
o Adjust speed as necessary.
o Check the left blind spot again, if applicable.
o Steer left into the adjoining road, into the appropriate lane.
o Check in the mirrors.
o Cancel the signal.
Therefore, it would seem that the onus was on the driver in the inside lane to make sure it was safe to change lanes. If not, safe he should have continued round the circle again until it was safe to change lanes to the left lane.
If it is safe to change lanes, and a signal is given to indicate such an intention, then safe driving practice would suggest that the motorist behind should notice that signal and not overtake the motorist wishing to move into his lane. Not slowing down a little would make the other driver’s lane change (that was at first safe to execute) now unsafe. The LH lane driver should show courtesy and slow down if appropriate and if safe to do to, to let the vehicle ahead complete the lane change safely.
However, if there is any doubt about safety, the motorist wishing to change lanes carries the responsibility of ensuring that it is safe to do so before signalling and again before changing lanes.
The Question and Answer in detail – with comments added reads:
My question is about “round abouts”…two vehicles enter a round about, the one after the other. Vehicle A intends to take the third exit, and enters and carry on in the round about in the LH lane. Vehicle B intends to take the second exit and enters and carry on in the round about in the RH lane. Second exit is normally straight ahead, though not necessarily so. Vehicle B, which will exit first, moved into the left lane in order to allow it to exit at the second exit; vehicle B collides with vehicle A as B moved in front of vehicle A in the LH lane. Did B check that it was clear and safe to change lanes, before signalling to do so? (a rule of the road for changing lanes) Is my understanding correct….should vehicle A have entered the round about in the RH lane, and has it erred by using the LH lane; There is no regulation or rule of the road to state which lane must be used within the roundabout. has vehicle B erred by entering in the RH lane. If B was in the RH lane on the approach road, and there was no gap in the LH lane for him to move into it well before reaching the roundabout, then he would have had no option but to continue to travel in the RH lane within the roundabout. It seems that both drivers were at fault as the onus was on B to ensure that it was safe to move to the LH lane (the most important and valid point, and a specific rule of the road – to check mirrors and blind spots before signalling; then, if safe to change lanes, to signal left; then before actually changing lanes to do another check in the blind spot to the left), and driver A should have entered in the RH lane as it wanted to take the last exit in the round about. Not a rule of the road, only a commonly held road-sense ‘advisory’. So A was not “in the wrong” here. He may have had no option but to enter the roundabout in the LH lane from the LH lane of the approach road.
Also view: