You may consider yourself a nervous driver. As a result, you want to make sure that you take the time to understand the various aspects of your vehicle and plan your routes ahead of time before hitting the road. Both of these actions may help you feel more comfortable behind the wheel, and they could also help you remain a safe driver.
Of course, when planning your route, you may realize that you have to take roads you have never navigated before. This possibility may increase your anxiety as you could come across situations that you typically do not encounter, like high-traffic areas or roundabouts. If you have never, or not often, utilized a roundabout, you may feel a sense of panic at the idea of approaching one.
Reaching a roundabout
This type of roadway set up typically takes the place of a standard intersection with traffic lights or stop signs. Multiple roads still come to a meeting point, but rather than moving straight through a crossing or making a turn onto another road, you enter a flow of traffic moving in a circular direction. This may seem nerve wracking or even dangerous to you, but studies indicate that roundabouts are safer than standard intersections.
Traveling in the roundabout
As you work to enter the flow of traffic, you need to remember that vehicles already in the roundabout have the right of way. Therefore, when you reach the end of the road that connects with the entrance to the roundabout, you need to yield to other traffic in the circle and only enter the roundabout when it is safe to do so. In addition to yielding to traffic in the circle, you will also need to yield to any pedestrians as you enter or exit the roundabout.
Once in the roundabout, you need to keep your vehicle moving at a slow pace. Do not stop in the middle of a roundabout. As you travel around the circle, your exit will approach, and you will merge out of the circle and onto the exiting street. If you miss your exit, do not panic. You can simply complete the circle again and exit the next time you reach your desired exit road.
Accidents in roundabouts
Though roundabouts are considered more efficient and safer than other intersections, accidents could still take place. If another driver fails to yield or otherwise does not utilize a roundabout properly and causes an accident that leaves you injured, you may have reason to seek compensation for resulting damages.