What Drivers Don’t Know When Driving In “Circles”: Even The Question Of When To Show A Turn Causes Problems

Insurers say that even small roundabouts often cause problems for drivers. Police officers point out that it is always important to follow road signs and horizontal road markings when crossing any intersection.

According to Renatas Siaurausaitis, Chief Specialist of the Traffic and Administrative Activity Supervision Division of the Lithuanian Highway Police Service, roundabouts are the safest. There are only 8 points of conflict, compared to 32 at a normal four-way intersection at the time.

“The installation of roundabouts really increases traffic safety on the country’s roads. However, even at such intersections, it is important to drive responsibly in accordance with the Road Traffic Rules, taking into account traffic signs and markings. In this case, there should be no problems driving around the roundabout, ”says R. Siaurusaitis.

Still, there are problems in real traffic situations. Rimvydas Pocius, the transport insurance portfolio manager at insurance company Ergo’s Corporate Clients, agrees that roundabouts are safer, but notes that there are still quite a few accidents on traffic lanes, especially large ones. During them, drivers suffer losses ranging from a few hundred to several thousand euros.

“Large roundabouts in cities are still a great challenge for drivers. However, smaller rings are not always successful. Also, drivers often need time to get used to a newly installed ring in a particular location. Especially In smaller cities, it is not uncommon to look at road signs out of habit and try to drive in a smaller ring such as an unregulated intersection, following the right hand rule. However, at roundabouts, priority is usually given to rotary vehicles, ”says Rimvydas Pocius.

It is true that, according to a representative of the insurers, this is not an absolute rule. There are also roundabouts where the vehicle that enters the roundabout prevails. Therefore, according to R. Pocius, it is always important to observe road signs. If there are none, the right hand rule should be followed.

R. Pocius points out that traffic accidents also occur because drivers often forget that the turn should not be shown when entering, but when exiting the ring. A turn in a roundabout should also always be displayed when changing lanes from one lane to another. It is during these maneuvers that accidents occur most frequently in the rings. According to R. Pocius, confusion often arises due to the correct choice of traffic lanes.

“The traffic signs in front of the ring usually indicate from which lane you can access the exit of the ring. For example, if you can only drive from the first lane to the first and second exit, and the driver needs the last one, then the first lane should take the roundabout. You must also enter from the first lane of the road, ”says R. Pocius.

True, in cities there are also roundabouts of this type, where from the first lane it is possible to drive not only to the first, but also to the second entrance. A. Siaurusaitis advises that organizing traffic in this way creates more difficulties for drivers. As a result, according to a police spokesman, road users at those roundabouts should be even more vigilant.