in thinking the other driver was in the wrong?

[Cailleach1]

A few days ago, I was driving and came to a mini painted roundabout. I believe the rules are roughly the same as for other roundabouts. You go around the circle.

As I approached the roundabout, I slowed down to give way to the car on my right. It was going staight on in the direction I was coming from. There was a slow down for some reason and it had to stop on the roundabout waiting for the cars in front of it to move on.

As this car had stopped and was blocking the roundabout on my right, I moved on. However, the car behind it did not wait for it to move on and just turned right and drove over the circle on the roundabout and nearly hit me. It did not wait to use the circle motion, but literally turned a right angle.

Who was in the wrong here? I think it was the other driver. Because it was a roundabout, it was give way to the right. The car on my right had stopped and therefore I had no one on my right to give way to at that time. The car that hit me did not go around the roundabout. If it was like a junction, then I had right of way to move straight on and should not have been nearly hit by someone moving onto a different road from the opposite side.

If you didn't go around a roundabout in your driving test and instead just turned right over and drove over the circle, I think you would have a fail for that.

I'm wondering what others think as the driver of the van that did a right angle turn and nearly hit me beeped me.

I think I have found my answer in the highway code. The other driver did not go around the roundabout and was in the wrong.

Section 188
This section of the Highway Code is all about mini-roundabouts. You should apply the same rules to approaching and entering mini-roundabouts as you would normal roundabouts. It is important to remember that all vehicles must pass round the central markings, unless they are too large to do so. You will find that when driving around mini-roundabouts there is less room to manoeuvre and less time to signal, so take extra care.

www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/changes-and-answers/-highway-code-for-roundabouts

You were in the right. He probably wasn't paying attention and scared himself/herself and beeped as a reaction. Fortunately no-one got hit and no messy insurance battles.

Depends. Was the other car already partly on the roundabout?

Technically, you were in the right. If there had been an accident, I'm sure it would have been found to have been his fault.

Nonetheless, it's obviously a good idea to attempt to avoid accidents regardless of whose fault they would be :) and doing so requires predicting what other drivers will do and acting accordingly. Ideally, you should have spotted that the other driver COULD have done this, and figured there was a good chance they would.

Yes, but the car in front of it was on my right and was on the roundabout waiting for the cars in front of it to allow it to proceed with exiting. There was no car to my right moving towards me on the roundabout. The highway code states that cars have to move around the central marking. This car that nearly hit me did a right turn over the central marking. If it did not do a sharp right turn it would not have come near me.

This demonstrates an increasing trend I have observed recently, not only in driving situations. When some people make a mistake, instead of apologising graciously they adopt an aggressive attitude, making the person wronged against question if he or she was actually in the wrong. What is wrong with acknowledging your mistake and apologising or, when driving, making an apologetic gesture to the other driver? The oaf you came up against wasn't going to acknowledge his mistake and beeped at you instead, making you question your actions. Ugh!

The fact that he was in the wrong doesn't render you entirely blameless.
When driving, you need to identify possible risks. There was a risk that someone would (incorrectly) squeeze past stationary car. You should have been more cautious and aware. It isn't just about who's to blame, it's about avoiding an accident.

I don't drive over the centre marking on roundabouts. Thing is, if it is a free for all on a roundabout, then it would only be safe to enter when devoid of other traffic as all could do illegal right turns over the marking. The code does say you 'must' pass around the central markings.

Thankfully, the driver didn't hit me as I drove around the markings. Keep saying I must get a dashcam.

Maybe the other driver was just trying to clear the roundabout? Hard to picture, but if he was already on the roundabout and you weren't, then I can see how it happens.

I usually go at least slightly over the middle bit of a mini roundabout, but round here they're on such narrow roads its almost impossible not to!

He didn't squeeze past the car on the roundabout. There was no room. He simply turned a right onto the painted area.

I was on the roundabout before he did the sharp right turn. He had been stuck behind the stationary car to my right which was waiting to exit. I was going slow as I had stopped to look to my right.

you were in the right

I'm pretty sure I've got the picture in my head of exactly what you're saying happened, & yep, they would be in the wrong, if he couldn't use the actual road so drove on the actual roundabout then I'm pretty sure that they'd be at fault if there was any accident. I wouldn't say you 'weren't totally blameless' at all I'd be feeling the same as you. We get it all the time around here, people trying to push their way in, people doing stupid things & then beebing the person that's not in the wrong, you've just got to let it go over your head, mutter a swear word at them & carry on knowing you were in the right :)

I agree with ThePants - you were in the right but I would also have expected someone to do that arsehole manoeuvre and proceeded with caution.

Thanks all for your viewpoints.

JonSnow, I shall proceed with my air of righteous indignation.

Sorry... I need a diagram. Please!

Ah ok, had a picture in my head of him half on the roundabout and stuck. He was absolutely in the wrong.

Need a diagram OP. Go on....it sounds like you were in the right but we love a good diagram.

I think the van driver was in the wrong. I also think the stationary car was in the wrong - they shouldn't have entered the roundabout only to block it. Are you sure the van driver wasn't beeping at them, not you.

I don't think it is always wrong to drive over the centre of a mini roundabout, particularly if it was blocked. However, he should have been very careful that you weren't going to pull out. The onus would be on both drivers to proceed cautiously in that situation - I doubt it would be found to be 100% anyone's fault if you'd both tried to nip across quickly and collided (but luckily you were driving appropriately so an accident was avoided!). He was wrong to hoot and blame you though. He was going to fast for the situation by the sound of it.

If he was coming from your right, you should have been ready to give way, surely? Am I right in picturing two lanes to your right, so he had space to get out around the other car?

I think both of you were being a bit oblivious and should have been going a bit more carefully - and the car that stopped on the roundabout was obviously wrong - but what you did doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world.

Sometimes people get confused by mini roundabouts - I don't know why. There was one near us where you'd constantly get people trying to cut you up because they thought it was a normal junction. Annoying.

We need a diagram to decide fully but you should go round a mini roundabout. I believe that if an accident happens then the person who drove over the roundabout would usually (I'm assuming not always though) be found to be liable for the accident