A driving question - roundabouts

[thebeatofthedrum]

If someone said to you, "use the outside lane" at a roundabout would you think they were talking about the left hand lane or the right hand lane?

Ooh - really split here.

Came up as DD went to sainsbury's with DH and he told her to use the inside lane, meaning RHS whereas she and I both understand it to be the LHS at a roundabout.

I know it's the RHS on dual carriageways and motorways but in my head it makes far more sense to be LHS on a roundabout and that's how I've taught her.

I couldn't find any guidance easily online in the Highway Code. She's going to ask her driving instructor when she finally gets back to lessons.

Left on a roundabout as it's on the outside. Off a roundabout I would only ever say left or right myself but I think I would assume left was the outside there too as right is near the middle of the road, so the inside.

left.. as in the outside of the circle. but that's not a very unambiguous instruction so whoever said should amend their thinking to L or R.

Left. Because it’s on the outside of the circle.

It's pretty clear on the link I posted. Your dh is wrong.

Just checked the Highway Code and it doesn't seem to mention outside and inside lanes on roundabouts, just right left and centre.
On a dual carriageway the outside lane is the right hand lane. Which always messes with my head by it is what it is. But for a roundabout surely "outside" would mean literally the outside of the circle?

Lol just looked this up and it’s one of those things that is just crazy. It’s based on the kerb not who is inside the roundabout the most.

@ThePianist38 just because this crazy rule hasn’t stuck in our minds definitely has no bearing on our driving abilities! I never approach a roundabout when driving and think ‘inside or outside’ I just know which lane for which exit. If I was map reading I’d say left middle or right lane as well so it’s pointless and irrelevant lol

Told her to use the outside lane! not inside

Left.

“Inside” of a roundabout and “inside lane” are two different things

I would never say inside or outside for a roundabout, but would say left, middle, right lane because that’s more precise I suppose

@OchonAgusOchonO, your link makes absolutely no reference to inside lane or outside lane

Right hand lane is offside, left hand lane is nearside. Just as passenger side of car is the nearside and drivers side is offside
It's in the dictionary as nearside is nearest the road edge (the kerb) not the centre of the road

Left.

Left. Of course it's left, no doubt about it.

@BimbleWimble - your link makes absolutely no reference to inside lane or outside lane

It doesn't use the term inside/outside lane but it does state you should use the left lane and stay on the outside of the roundabout and you should use the right lane and stay on the inside of the roundabout

If the left lane is on the outside of the roundabout, the inside lane is hardly on the outside of the roundabout. It would make no sense logically.

[quote OchonAgusOchonO]**@BimbleWimble* - your link makes absolutely no reference to inside lane or outside lane*

It doesn't use the term inside/outside lane but it does state you should use the left lane and stay on the outside of the roundabout and you should use the right lane and stay on the inside of the roundabout

If the left lane is on the outside of the roundabout, the inside lane is hardly on the outside of the roundabout. It would make no sense logically.[/quote]
‘Inside’ is not the same as ‘inside lane’.

@BimbleWimble - ‘Inside’ is not the same as ‘inside lane’.

Logically, the inside lane is the lane on the inside and the outside lane is the lane on the outside. Any other interpretation is illogical.

It’s the right hand lane.

It wouldn’t do to switch inside and outside lanes just for the purposes on a roundabout! So inside is always the nearside lane (closest to kerb) and outside is always the offside lane (closest to central reservation).

Can you imagine the confusion if it changed depending on whether you were at a junction/roundabout/straight stretch??

Left, surely?

This has hurt my brain

I would think Left but would ask which exit rather than which lane.

Can you imagine the confusion if it changed depending on whether you were at a junction/roundabout/straight stretch??

I think we can see plenty of confusion here when some people are referring to the lane on the inside as the outside lane and vice versa. Probably why the highway code doesn't refer to the lanes on roundabouts as inside/outside

Left surely

Left is outside, right is inside.

Left lane is on the outside (of the roundabout). It's the one you use to leave the roundabout.