to ask you who has right of way?

[allswellthatends]

Please settle a family argument, especially since our eldest has finally nabbed a driving test date and this could come up.

Near our house is a mini roundabout we pass almost every day. If car A and car C arrive at the roundabout at the same time, and car A is signalling a right turn, who has right of way? Who has to yield?

I have drawn a diagram under MN rules, but cannot see how to link it??

Yes, of course I have my own view (which doesn’t correspond to my husband’s view). I would like to hear what others think, so I am putting this out here and will come back to it in 24 hours to tell you what I think and why. It’s clear that not everyone agrees with me because this location gets a lot of near-collisions and angry hooting!

They both go at the same time as car C will be out of the way before car A arrives!

If they both give way to each other, when do they travel through the roundabout?

I'm in Australia and we give way to the immediate right and cars already on the roundabout but travel through at a reduced speed keeping traffic flowing. (At least theoretically. Lots of wankers who speed through without checking)

Car A has right of way.

But given you can’t be certain car C isn’t going to turn right (even though not indicating) I’d approach with caution and possibly hang back even if I was car A, particularly if it’s a tiny mini roundabout.

If it's one of those tiny bump in the road type roundabouts then I can see why some people are hesitant to go first.

Actually we don’t have to give way to the right on a roundabout (just checked because it niggled) but it isn’t a bad policy.

Mini roundabouts are a pain in the arse. Some of them are just glorified T -junctions and there are drivers who treat them that way. Also, many are in the habit of driving straight across them rather than round the button, which makes it difficult to judge how quickly another car is going to get to you.

We have one near us where (using your diagram) roads A and C are the main road and road B is more of a side road. If I am on road B and reach the line before a car coming from Road A reaches its line I will inevitably get beeped at unless I stop to let car A continue on its way. A lot of road users are just twats.

Going back to your diagram, the fact that you say that one of the cars has to take priority would suggest that it is so small that they can’t both enter at the same time and safely reach their exits without colliding. They would have no problem with that on a larger roundabout. My view is that if either sees the other approaching, both have to pause and agree which is going to go first by hand gestures or light flashes. Alternatively they both proceed extremely slowly.

It's obvious from the replies on this thread that many people don't know the give way to the right rule. That would explain why I'm often sat at a mini roundabout waiting patiently for the car to my right to go, while the driver is flashing lights and gesticulating and signalling that I should be moving first. Twits.

It’s give way to traffic coming from the right that is already on the roundabout. In OP’s scenario both cars reach the roundabout at the same time.

Car A has right of way, Car C could edge on and keep an eye open but has no right to impede Car A.

This might be relevant as your son is taking his driving test soon. Most of us do things we shouldn't do but on no account should he do or do or say this on his test or he will be booking another one.

I genuinely don’t know. Something I’ve never understood is the whole ‘give way to the right’ in this situation as both cars at to ‘the right’ of each other as it’s a circle!?

‘The approaching traffic usually gives way to traffic already on the roundabout, which always comes from the right.
By waiting for a safe gap – you can join the flow of traffic and continue in the correct lane until reaching your exit.’

from the RAC uk web page.

Right of way doesn’t exist in the Highway Code - the word is ‘priority’ and doesn’t give you the absolute right to steam through the other car like the term right of way implies - so no one is right. 🤓

You should give way to cars APPROACHING from your right. At no point will Car C approach A to the right as they are going straight on. So As right hand side is clear. They have no one to give way to. If A is turning right, they will cut across C from the right. So C needs to give way.
(Not taking into account the whole already on the roundabout thing)

I thought you had to give way to those already on the roundabout. if you all arrive at the junction of a roundabout at the same time no one has right of way. It's just a case of looking around to see if anyone is going to go and if not I do. Even worse when 3 of you arrive at the same time and you're all looking at each other to determine who will go first 😂

I think this is quite helpful (a site called driving test tips). Though to my mind it does slightly encourage the type of asshole driving I see from White Van Men, which is “approach the roundabout at speed and trust the little people to stay out of your way”.

If car a has crossed the give way line then they have right of way. Even if its a mini roundabout same rule applies. Give way to cars coming from the right hand side.

What about if Car C was turning into Road B instead of going straight on though @Dwappy ?

Well if that was the case its a totally different answer. You get the good old stand off where everyone sits looking at each other until someone is either brave enough to go first or signals for someone else to. There is no priority/right of way in that situation until the first person moves.
But that wasnt the original question which is why I didn't answer that.

Totally unrelated but reminds me of a joke I saw on one of those ‘British problems’ pages:

”Arrived at a mini roundabout at the same time as two other cars last Wednesday. We’re still here.’

I know it wasn’t the original question @Dwappy , I was just continuing the chat out of curiosity as you seemed to know what you were talking about, sorry you felt the need to be defensive.

The indicators are a red herring. Indicators don't change who has priority and they are not 100% reliable - car A cannot assume from the fact that car C is not indicating that it is not planning to turn right.

For both of them it's a judgement call of can I clear it before the other car needs the space I'm about to occupy? If so then I can go, if not I need to wait because as soon as they are on the roundabout, I do need to give way to them.

It's also important in a driving test (and in life) not to dither too much. So it's pause to judge if they are going and give them a chance, and if they don't go, then you do. And this applies whether you are A or C. I and another girl once both failed our tests because we ended up facing each other on a narrow bit of road, and we both took too long waiting for the other to go.

What is your answer OP?

Car A has right of way

Sorry I didn't mean it to sound like that. I'm really bad at judging my tone when writing. Sorry! I was even trying to make a joke about all sitting looking at each other but I don't think it worked well! 😬😊

This. I normally just go whilst the driver opposite is dithering tbh. My car is modern and moves. The only time I’ve ever had an issue (not an accident) was on a largish mini roundabout on the main road through a large village. A small van was turning right, me straight on. The driver went anticlockwise over / around the roundabout and was gesticulating for me to get out of the way... whilst on the wrong side of the road. Maybe he thought we were in France. Had he respected the roundabout, we would have missed each other by a car length. Idiot.

Can a driving instructor come and answer please.