Mini roundabouts! Whose right of way? Diagram included!

[Rocketlady]

Not my finest artwork, but if vehicle A is is indicating to turn to their right (left in pic!) and vehicle B wants to go straight on, whose right of way is it?

Seeing as they are directly opposite each other, A should give way to B and B should give way to A. So it’s hard to call who goes first isn’t it?

Aaaand this thread is why a dashcam is a worthwhile investment. Some of these responses are terrifying and explain some of the inexplicable driving I see on a daily basis.

The Highway Code is clear. For both roundabouts and mini roundabouts the rule is that when reaching the roundabout you should

• give priority to traffic approaching from your right, unless directed otherwise by signs, road markings or traffic lights
• check whether road markings allow you to enter the roundabout without giving way. If so, proceed, but still look to the right before joining
• watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all
• look forward before moving off to make sure traffic in front has moved off.

B is never approaching from A’s right so A has nothing to give priority to. A is approaching from B’s right so B must give priority to A.

@itsallsohard it does not matter which way up you hold the picture the answer is the same A has priority as A is going around the roundabout in front of the junction that B is turning onto the roundabout at however B does not go in front of the junction that A turns onto the roundabout at, therefore A has no one to give way to.

No. You give way to the vehicle on the right at a roundabout. It doesn't matter what 'function' they are performing.

OK, I have now opened OP's diagram properly on my phone and I get it. It's a 3 exit mini roundabout which I had not appreciated because of the way the diagram appeared on my phone.

A looks to their right and the exit immediately to their right is empty, so A can enter the roundabout as there is no one to give way to.

B looks to their right, the exit to the right of them is A's, A is waiting there, B must give way to A.

Therefore A can go and B must wait for A and it is all down to what is going on at the exit to each's immediate right.

headdesk

EDT: No, I cannot cope with thinking about the road markings so am just pretending they're the same for everyone

@CarterBeatsTheDevil ❤

This is exactly what I think too. Explained better than I did!

A has right of way, even if they haven't yet reached the roundabout. You give way to approaching vehicles on the right, at all times. It doesn't matter if B got to the roundabout first, unless they can clearly see that they have plenty time to complete the manoeuvre before A gets onto the roundabout. But the definitive rule is that if B can see A approaching the roundabout, they should stop and wait for A. If A ended up in a crash due to B not waiting, there would be absolutely no question that it was Bs fault and it would be their insurance paying out.

Get a dash cam in case this happens.

This is a real life example of your diagram which happens to be near where I live. Perhaps it's the same roundabout 😂 With your scenario, A has the right of way. In real life at this particular roundabout it's a bit of a disaster really. The blue car at the top, which would be the equivalent of your car A, can't bloody see if anything is coming from their right due to the enormous shrubs/trees on the corner and because the lines in the road are way too far back. So most people blast through and hope for the best 🫠

Omg that would totally do me in! Just why is it so far back?? (And what on earth is that casting a shadow on the lefthand bit of grass there?)

And this is the point. Nope, A is not to the right of B. A isn't to the right of B when A and B both enter the roundabout (assuming they enter at the same time) and A and B are equally to the right of each other as they go through the roundabout, and by the time (theoretically) A wants to leave the roundabout to A's right and B's left, A is BEHIND B: the yield-to-the-right rule is irrelevant because at this point A and B are right to right in practice, that is, each is right to the other and neither has priority, but in theory A is behind B. It's that simple. Really.

Earlier I gave the question, what happens if A and B both enter the roundabout and both signalling to turn right? In theory, there is no conflict. In practice, A and B both turn BEHIND each other on the roundabout instead of (as typically happens in standard UK intersections) in front of one another. (Note that this isn't a given outside the UK: in France, for instance, two cars turning across one another are required to go behind one another at any kind of intersection.)

Here, A must go around three-quarters of the roundabout before turning. B must go only around two, ie straight across. Honestly, I don't get why you are all so confused.

And in the photograph that littleorangefox posted, clearly B (the lower car) has priority, because they are to the right of the red car (who doesn't exist on OP's diagram), who is to the right of the blue car (who is A on OP's diagram). I just don't understand what you lot are not understanding. This is very basic. Two cars approach a roundabout directly opposite one another: neither has priority to enter, but the one leaving an exit later (A, leaving at its 3rd exit) than the othern(B, leaving at its second exit) must yield: so A yields to B. A is cutting across B's line in the roundabout. Each is to the right of the other in the roundabout; on approach to the roundabout neither is to the right of the other, they are face-to-face. By the time A reaches the third exit they must be behind B at its second exit.

I think I'm getting your point now @itsallsohard 🥳

The confusion seems to stem from widespread misunderstanding of what constitutes "the right". It seems many, many people (me included, but I'm coming round, pun intended 😁) view the next junction in an anticlockwise direction to themselves as on the right, whereas you are making the case that if the next junction in an anticlockwise direction is at 12 O'clock, then technically it's not "on the right" unless a car at that junction has already entered the roundabout, at which point they are now approaching from the right, and B must yield? But if B enters first, A could not put their foot down and cut them up by turning right? Am I understanding your point now? I'm admittedly quite weary and not really sure I can take anymore today!

Mumsnet gives the most amazing insights into the minds of other drivers, like that thread where it revealed that there are a number of drivers who confidently think that the lanes on a motorway should be used in a way that depends on how fast you are driving (rather than to overtake!!).

It’s A that has priority.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CuznajVB1/

Ah I was really hoping he might say something about 12 o'clock

@Rocketlady I do hope that you make a point of throwing at least one arm up in the air and visibly mouthing an exasperated, “Wtf are you doing?!” (Or similar).

Oh help. 12 o'clock on our roundabout is totally arbitrary. It's not North or South;it's also not top of OP's diagram or bottom. Would it help if you thought of B as being at 12 and A being at 6? Bearing in mind that we can all agree we're moving clockwise around any roundabout?]

Or can we put this the other way: what if B is signalling to turn left and A is going straight on, who has priority to enter the roundabout?

I mean, if B is signalling to turn right (their right) and A is going straight on?

Judging by what happens round here, A and B will both arrive at the roundabout and sit there looking at one another, shortly followed by C, who will see both of them and give way, followed last of all by D who will see everyone else sitting there like lemons and keep going.

You need a degree for that.

Which is the best and safest response all round. Obviously. 😁

A

'D' is very often yours truly. 😂