To think that people don’t use this mini roundabout correctly? (Diagram and picture)

Yeah, I can’t think of a one lane mini that I would approach at 20 (in terms of my day to day routes)- they are all too tight.

In the video that I posted which was from a driving school, the suggested speed was 10-15mph and from the diagram in that it looks to be a 2 lane approach with good all round visibility.

Going by the picture in the original post , I'd suggest walking pace would be a more appropriate speed when reaching the junction to enter the roundabout.

I think a lot of posters are being deliberately obtuse. For some reason, some MNers’ favourite pastime is to tell other people they are bad drivers.

Clearly OP does know how to use a roundabout. She’s specifically talking about those mini-roundabouts with three exits where one of the exits is much smaller and less used. The people travelling along the other two roads treat it like a t-junction where they are on the main road - when they’re really not. They should approach it like a roundabout. They don’t need to stop, clearly, but they should not power through as if there isn’t a roundabout.

There’s one just like this near me. I’m always on the main drag so I’m not in OP’s position. But I see where she’s coming from; in fact, I came along there tonight and the person waiting to join from the smaller road just sat there; I was approaching from their left, but they just sat there waiting for me because, I imagine, they’re so used to people just whizzing past as if they have right of way. I’ve actually had someone thank me for giving way to them in that situation because it’s so unusual! The people who live down that road must just be used to people treating the mini-roundabout like a t-junction. Just like OP said of hers.

There isn’t a set speed to slow to though is there?

The op says the cars from the right in her case are travelling at approximately 20mph- without knowing the road conditions and visibility etc we can’t really know if it would be sensible to slow further.

can think of roundabouts where you always have to practically stop whatever lane you’re in, and others where just under 20 would be mostly fine.

Roundabout entry and exits are treated as junctions. Scroll to about 3:50 in this youtube video for the correct way to approach and join a roundabout.

I learnt to drive many years ago, firstly on motorbikes. The reason for slowing down on approach is not only to allow you to process the information and drive accordingly. But to allow other drivers to see you.

OP, you have the Highway Code exactly backwards. On both large and mini roundabouts, it is on the APPROACH to the roundabout that you must yield to the right. Once two cars are both in the roundabout, you do not yield to the right (indeed, you have no need to yield to cars on your right when you're already in in a full-size roundabout: that could only happen if they were in the wrong lane for their exit, in which case it's on them to go all the way around again -- they cannot force you to exit where you weren't planning to!)

Note that this rule applies to cars approaching the roundabout to your right, by the way. I often notice on mini-roundabouts, drivers mistakenly imagine that if they are signalling to exit to their right, they somehow have priority over drivers going straight. They don't.

This seems likely- @AndiOliversGlasses people from the left presume you will do the correct thing and stop for traffic coming from your right, therefore they can proceed.

This would only change if you are there before them and there isn’t anything coming from your right- in that case you proceed and the traffic from the left stops for you.

I have been driving for a similar amount of time as you, my husband has been driving for almost 50 years, he qualified as a driving instructor 13 years ago and we have both changed how we drive.

Driving tuition and driving tests have changed considerably, it's very unlikely that someone who has been driving for over 30 years (I include myself) would pass a test today without some guidance.
I now approach a roundabout at a speed of 20mph and only proceed if my quarter is clear, this is obviously not so straightforward on a mini roundabout, you can fail a test for being too hesitant on a roundabout or at a junction.
As you can imagine, every trip where my husband is my passenger is an absolute joy 😂

Jesus OP 🤣

How have you survived this long! Good thing you asked.

With regard this mini yes the left side should give way to you. But on minis it is a pain and as you’re not on the straight run then it’s a nightmare! I wouldn’t trust a left coming car to give way unless it was physically stopped.

@MoreCardassianThanKardashian
I'm referring to OPs diagram

@ATenShun
Approaching from OPs right should not be treating it as a junction; it is a roundabout and as such do not need to give way unless an oncoming car is travelling around to OPs cutoff.

I think the OP is partly correct. She must give way to traffic coming from the right, but that traffic joining the roundabout should be treating their entry on to the roundabout as a junction and adjusting speed appropriately on approach.

and that they would fail their test if they slowed down?

Oh FFS! Not a single poster has said that they are not allowed to slow down, only that they are not required to!

Then you need to wait.

You're not quite right. For example, this unconventional roundabout. www.instagram.com/reel/C-nlisLoJXY/?igsh=OG94NzFyM2VnZXI3

It's obvious because of the white give way lines but not obvious enough it seems. There's one like this on the a5 in Atherstone. Pain in the arse!

"No, they would be slowing down to a safe speed to approach the roundabout and a collateral benefit of that would be that there was a safe gap for me to pull out. Not the Same as giving way at all. Because they should slow down to that speed even there is nobody waiting where I am!"

They are at a safe speed to approach the roundabout. It's just not a convenient speed for you.

Is there good visibility along the road to the zebra crossing? If so then IMO they've no need to slow down from 20. If there is poor visibility then they definitely should be. But either way roundabouts aren't about being considerate - if it's your right of way and it's safe to go then you go. If it's not your right of way and you pull out in front of someone anyway causing them to slow down, even if in your view they were going too fast, you're still in the wrong.

This is reminding me a bit of the poster who was hogging the overtaking lane going slowly and preventing traffic overtaking as she needed to be in that lane 2 miles on when the road split. That was a similarly fiesty thread about something seemingly mundane.

I do think it sounds like a useless junction though, maybe worth complaining to the council. From a safety POV ie I nearly had an accident the other day because people coming from the right were all speeding and there were no safe gaps.

Kaaraa And Bellamari are 100% correct OP

I am a driving instructor

Surely they can see the zebra crossing well ahead so will know if they need to slow down or not well before reaching it / the roundabout?

The only reason they would need to slow down is if 1) someone is approaching the crossing or 2) a vehicle is coming from the opposite direction and turning right

20mph is plenty slow enough. They don’t need to slow to 10mph in order to be safe.

Basically you’re annoyed because they aren’t slowing down to let you out, even though they don’t have to.

Why would they slow down when they have a completely clear view and nothing is coming to turn right so no reason for them to give way? They don’t need to slow to allow you to go. You’re the one who has to stop and wait. You don’t just go anyway and force them to brake.