The whole point is that you give way to the right, to those ALREADY on the r'bout, not those approaching it, like the git who nearly swiped me.

The problem is people use it as a roundabout when it suits them or as a sort of "super-priority" right turn when it suits them.

[Edited by zoog - 11/1/2001 9:01:13 AM]

This morning, for the second time in the last couple of months I have been the victim of a seemingly new behaviour in the growing pantheon of bad driving that is afflicting us in recent years.

I pulled out to go straight accross a miniroundabout with seemingly loads of time to get over before the oncoming right-turner would get round and pass behind my rear....but no: matey decides to short cut the circle by turning straight right accross my bows on the wrong side of the roundabout. He brakes, stops and and hoots me!

At that point I succumbed to road rage and I will not repeat my words on a family website..!

What with nobody bothering to use indicators any more, the seeming reversal of side road/main road priority, and all the rest of it, it seems driving standards are in freefall in this country. I live in London BTW and I think its far worse here than the rest of the UK.

What is to be done?


[Edited by zoog - 10/26/2001 2:52:39 PM]

Show them the error of their ways with something large, heavy & blunt. Maybe a baseball bat or the like. ;)

Bet they don't do it to 15 year old motors, Just nice shiney ones that people dont want to dent. :(

Ian

[Edited by ian_sadler - 10/26/2001 2:52:00 PM]

Sometimes I wish I had a 15 yr old land rover - I d just let them hit me and laugh at them.

They do the same in Swindon.

I thought it was the norm to drive like that in Larndon ? Its a case of dog eat dog down there.

Mind you I've got used to people doing daft things on the road. I've got to the point where I can predict when some ar*e is going to do something different. Best ones are when you are going to go left into a junction from a roundabout and the guy on the left wants to go all the way round the roundabout - how many times have I seen that one coming. Total nobs lot of them - we should line them up and shoot them. Oops, getting road rage and I'm not even on the road yet - how's that ?

Zoog,

That is a close relative of the 'boy racer turning right at a junction in front of two lanes of traffic' maneouver..

You know the one.. lights turn green, boy racer burns rubber to cross the two lanes without being rubbed out by the bus and cars accelerating away from the lights in the opposite direction.

He cuts the corner to avoid being t-boned by a taxi, and almost collects you and a cycleist who are minding their own business as he crosses onto the wrong side of the road... ****.

As a serving traffic officer I'd say you took a risk if the right turner could actually get across in fron of you. You should not have relied on how long he might take to go around the "island".

But I'm not.

Zoog,

I had excatly the same happen to me a few weeks ago. I was slowly approaching the mini roundabaout with a car comming the other way indicating to turn right (ie across my path). I entered the roundabout before the other car, who then cut across the front of me. I stopped in time and told him he should not have cut across and that I was already on the roundabout. He said something about me speeding through the village :confused: :rolleye: (I was doing about 15-20 mph - to$$er).

Does not the highway code say that you should treat miniroundabouts the same as full sized one? IE. Give way to traffic already on the roundabout? He should have gone around.

Highway code Rule 164..

164. Mini-roundabouts. Approach these in the same way as normal roundabouts. All vehicles MUST pass round the central markings except large vehicles which are physically incapable of doing so. Remember, there is less space to manoeuvre and less time to signal. Beware of vehicles making U-turns.
Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD 10(1)

Glad to see I'm not the only one!
Incidentally, I carry a digital Ixus everwhere I go these days,being into photography, so if I get into any accidents as a result of such driving I will immediately photo the incident before anyone moves a car.

Adrian

Zoog,

Good idea. After this incident I will be getting a desposable camera for the cat. It would have been invaluable if there had been contact and it came to his word against mine.

Re:...However, in the 1996 version of the highway code, this paragraph does NOT appear! Maybe time for a few more Public Information Films (and a few less aggressive mini-roundabouts on otherwise straight roads ;)

mb

Hmmm...

I treat mini roundabouts as give way to people from the right or signalling to turn accross my path. I believe that this is correct method and it's not first come first served unless it's a stand off :D

Obviously if you are clearly approaching the roundabout ahead of other people then you have right of way.

If you are both approaching the roundabout at the same speed and the other car is signaling to turn either on to your lane or accross your path, but you choose to enter the roundabout fractionally before them, then I believe you are in the wrong.

I'm probably just stating the obvious though ;)

So is your pussy into photography :D:D:D:D

Si

Serious point there though..... I have a disposable camera in my car, and would suggest this as a good measure for all to adopt.

Too many people these days apologise, you note their reg etc etc then deny all knowledge when the insurance docs arrive in the post.
At least with some photos you can prove they were there if nothing else.

H.

If I pull up at a mini roundabout and there is someone approaching at speed on the right, but is say 50 yards away yet, do I give way to him, or do I have the right to pull onto the roundabout? I agree with one of the earlier posters that the maxim I follow is to give way to cars already on the roundabout.

Around here, so many people, especially white vans, just drive fast at a mini roundabout and basically rules of the road go out the window, as everyone has to stop for them. What can you do? There are so many selfish people in the world.

Richie

Zoog...maybe we should try the American "four way stop" instead. Four cars sitting there each coming from opposite directions, are expected to stop first, and then beckon someone on, and so on. Amazing thing is...it seems to work. The principle depends on people being pleasant and generous to each other. Can you see it working here? Why are British drivers such gits?

My otherwise completely placid colleague nearly knocked off a cyclist this mnorning whilst trying overtake when something else was coming the other way...She nearly took both out. Then she ran a red light. She didn't know I was driving behind. Mentioned it to her....she thought it was funny. unbelievable.


Richie

IMHO the American four way stop doesn't work - I seem to end up in a sort of driving version of "you have the last bun". Everyone sits there waiting for other people to go, then almost simultaneously creep forward, see other people moving, stop and the whole thing repeats. Like synchronised swimming for cars.

Also, the roundabouts themselves are often the problem. I can think of at least two locally that it is impossible for me to drive round without cutting over them - and that is using full lock. Maybe this is a plan to reduce the traffic in the area - anyone with a car bigger than a Smart has to keep away?

Regards,

Deano

I sympathise with Richies first point. The amount of people in our area that think I should give way to them even if they are 50 yards away from the roundabout is scary!!!:eek: Often I would be well within my rights to pull out but dont as I dont fancy my car being written off by ingnorant tw@ts!!!

This roundabouts should be CCTV covered and bad drivers fined, theres plenty of them and they're more dangerous than many speeders!

Deano...maybe that's the solution...buy a Smart, get an AMG conversion and a derestricted top speed? A Smart owning friend of mine swears he can get his car to lift both front wheels off the ground, under acceleration.......AND he can get around mini roundabouts no problem. Reckons he's frightened a few Imprezas in the TL grand prix.

Don't worry...told him he's a pr*ck!

Richie

On a purely grammattical note, many speeders are far more dangerous than is just one bad roundabout taker. :)

But the issue here is, as mentioned many times on this BBS over the years, POOR DRIVING.

Lack of courtesy, "look I'm winning" seems to be uppermost in most driver's minds.

A campaign to educate might be worthwhile, but it doesn't collect money!

Same way you never see a special crackdown on burglars over the Christmas period.

I was just on the phone to an old friend who reckons that councils prefer to put in miniroundabouts as they are much cheaper than traffic lights.

Right, I'm off out to get a disposable camera, top idea! :)

My understanding of mini roundabouts is same as normal ones, give way to the right to people on the roundabout. But, as has been said, mini roundabouts are often used in places where it's pretty much impossible to go round them anyway, so they're just asking for trouble :(

Zoog, like the idea about carrying your digi camera in the car...

BUT - unfortunately digital photos aren't admissible in evidence in court (which is really the ultimate purpose of taking any photos, as evidence), so not much use. I think the reasoning is that they're too easily manipulated. Doesn't affect GATSOs though, does it.

So get a disposable one as well :)

I had'nt though of that. Old technology wins again!