Roundabout who was in the wrong?

[UsernameA1B2]

I am new to driving but still think I was not in the wrong. If I am can someone explain why thanks. I have attached a diagram to explain. I am the blue car and the blue line shows the path I am taking. I was using my indicators. The orange car is the other car in questions and the orange line is the path they deciced to take. They did not indicate and I did not know they wanted to change lane on roundabout until I got on. When I got onto roundabout (the outer lane) the car decided to change to my lane (see the orange line going from inner lane to outer lane) then pip their horn and then speed past me after both exiting roundabout and give me the middle finger. I am wrong to have got into the lane indicated in diagram (the outer lane) on roundabout when that lane was clear and only the inner lane had a car in it. Thanks sorry if not clear.

Orange car did nothing wrong in moving lanes to exit, as explained by the Highway Code, point 186 here and the diagram above it: www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/roundabouts.html
It clearly shows the green car turning right can either leave in the right hand lane (which still crosses the outer lane anyway, as pixie5121 has pointed out!) or can move to the left lane before exiting.

Can’t argue with the Highway Code, can you?

@Lunar27 I think lane discipline is always important in all driving situations.

What 'right hand lane'??

Look at the diagram OP posted. It's not a spiral lanes type roundabout. There is no way to get off the roundabout into the exit lane without moving into the outside lane at some point. The orange car, as you can see from OP's own diagram, wanted to move over in good time to avoid any possible congestion on the roundabout and be able to turn off smoothly into the left-hand lane at the exit.

This is perfectly normal, safe, driving, and the Highway Code itself acknowledges that you switch lanes when exiting.

Exactly. As that diagram shows, it's perfectly acceptable to take either lane of the exit road, regardless of whether you're approaching from the inside or outside lane. The orange car did nothing wrong at all.

The silver car in that diagram would be blocking the green car either way if it pulled out in front of it. The orange car in OP's diagram even if going for the right-hand lane of the exit road still could have clipped the back of OP's car because of the angle. This is why you don't pull out in front of people at roundabouts.

Yes and no.

In context of the sketch that the OP drew, there is no lane discipline to discuss as the orange car had freedom to select the lane of their choice.

If, in my example, two cars enter the roundabout simultaneously then yes, lane discipline is important.

If, you're entering a 2 lane roundabout and it is safe to do so, you are fully entitled to straight line a roundabout. I do this often for efficiency, both for speed and the car.

Lane discipline is an important factor for driving but is not cast in stone.

If she wasn’t indicating then I would presume she was going straight on. As she didn’t pull off at the exit you were coming out of then I think it’s pretty clear that straight on is the exit after yours.

Its difficult, because people are impatient so they do rush onto roundabouts without their being a gap because they can’t wait a few seconds but this is how accidents happen. The first thing my driving instructor told me was to never, ever presume something about another driver. Always get into the car and drive as if everyone else doesn’t know how to drive.

@pixie5121 what do you mean "what right hand lane"? There are two lanes on the exit.

@Lunar27 most driving problems are solved by decent indicating and sticking to your lane.

Ok but how is sticking to your lane relevant in this situation?

Because if the orange car had stayed in her lane, she would have come off the roundabout in the outside lane, leaving the other lane free. OP would have used the inside lane to come off the roundabout. The orange car changed lanes for no reason other than to leave the roundabout on the inside lane. It's inefficient for the roundabout.

For all the people saying that the orange car should have remained in the right hand lane and exited into the right hand lane:

If the orange car had done that, what if the blue car had been going straight across, not taking the first exit – wouldn't the same near miss have happened anyway?

To me, that makes it seem like all this talk of lane discipline and indicators is secondary, "giving way to the right" is what keeps everything working smoothly and safely here.

Yes because they dont pull into the outer lane until just before their turn off

Obviously if the blue car were going straight then it's unambiguous that they should have waited for the orange car to pass.

Except that's not how roundabouts work obviously. Therefore it's irrelevant, as per the rules of the highway code.

What you think may or may not be more efficient doesn't matter as the orange car did exactly what they were able to.

And you need to cross the outside lane to get to either of them. Not sure how many times I can say the same thing.

The orange car might have been wanting to turn left from the exit road. It's far safer to go directly into the left-hand lane than to go into the right-hand lane and then try to 'merge' (i.e. try to force your way in later).

I can't believe people are still arguing about this. The Highway Code is crystal clear. The orange car had every right to do what they did.

You don't know why the orange car chose to do that. Maybe they needed a left-turn up ahead and the right-hand lane of the exit road was straight on or right turn only. Maybe they'd seen an an obstruction in the right-hand lane and chose to move to the left. It doesn't matter. They had the right to choose.

The point is, it's not on OP to decide that when nothing the orange car did was wrong. She should not have been there, in the way. You don't get to commit a serious driving fault that could have caused an accident and whinge about other people's perfectly safe driving.

The Highway Code itself specifies that you stay on the inside lane of a roundabout until you need to change lanes to exit. Not sure how much more proof you need.

At roundabouts you always give way to your right so the other car had right of way, not you and he wouldn’t of been indicating if he was going straight over the roundabout.

People in the left lane will only get side-swiped if they try to undertake.

OP even if the blue car was indicating right and actually took the 3rd exit, you should never enter the roundabout with the blue car coming. Doesn't matter about there being a "free lane". It's very dangerous to enter roundabouts when it is not clear to your right.

Swap blue car with orange car. Sorry I got the colours mixed

@pixie5121

”It's far safer to go directly into the left-hand lane than to go into the right-hand lane and then try to 'merge' (i.e. try to force your way in later).”

omg this is such nonsense I’m afraid and actually contravenes the very code you quote

it might FEEL safer for drivers such as yourself to get “directly” into your lane of choice

but the safer way of driving is to stay in the lane you approached in, and exit IN that lane

you then do observations, indicate, and move over to the left lane after exiting

if you choose to do what you suggest? Then you can end up with people slaloming across two lanes in the roundabout, without doing necessary checks - and going into the space of people who were using the left lane correctly to go straight on

But this mentality is a lot like the “I stay in the middle lane all the way on a motorway to stop “swerving” in and out of lanes” - it’s not correct driving. But people deem what’s safest for them and retroactively interpret the Highway Code the way they want to

Sorry they were completely right.

God, it's actually embarrassing how you keep going despite being so obviously wrong.

How does this contradict what's in the Highway Code?! It says to stay in the inside lane until you need to change lane to exit. Try to gaslight me all you like, but that's what it says in black and white. You literally cannot leave the roundabout without turning into the outside lane.

At no point did I say "go into in the outside lane of the roundabout and stay there regardless of which exit you're taking". The orange car was following the Highway Code perfectly. They stayed in the inside lane until the exit before the one they wanted to take, at which point they moved into the outside lane. It would have taken them one or two seconds to do this manoeuvre. If you have trouble understanding written English, there are some helpful diagrams to help you - another PP linked to one.

The left-hand lane in the exit road might be for a left turn ahead, in which case it's far safer and more sensible to exit the roundabout in the left-hand lane than try to merge later. This is literally what your precious Highway Code advises drivers to do. The orange car had every right to choose which lane to take on the exit road. Look at the diagrams. There are many situations where traffic in the exit road may be moving very slowly, and where trying to merge at that point is difficult or dangerous.

Just stop embarrassing yourself.

I commented upthread but this is the second of these I've seen in a few weeks and as a learner driver I'm finding them really useful to test my own knowledge. Also, to find out how many people on the road ate doing it wrong (and I do realise how that sounds from someone who hasn't passed their test yet!). If I joined a roundabout and wanted to leave at say, the fourth exit, if a car pulled out with me and drove around in he lefthand lane my instructor would lean over and sound the horn at hem as they were in the wrong lane and would be cutting me up or making it impossible to leave the island.

Sorry for all the typos. I can drive but clearly can't spell!

You were in the wrong and would have failed had you done this on test. You always give way to your right so you should have stopped. They should have indicated though to show they were leaving the roundabout.