To think that people don’t use this mini roundabout correctly? (Diagram and picture)

[AndiOliversGlasses]

This is on a regular route I drive and I am always approaching it from the angle seen in the photo, to turn right. My approach road is short so no time to build up any speed. As you can see, it is really a T junction of a smaller road in to a bigger one, but it has been configured with a mini roundabout.

Nine times out of 10 traffic coming from the right or the left doesn’t slow down, so even if a car coming from my right is not on the roundabout yet it will beep at me if I pull out and cause it to slow down. I know that the rule is give way to traffic coming from the right, but doesn’t that only apply to traffic already on the roundabout?

I can see that the problem with a mini one is that there is much less time that the car is actually “on” it, but surely everyone should be slowing down as they approach a roundabout?

At this one, usually the only way to get out is by waiting for a pedestrian to cross at the zebra and stop the traffic from the right that way.

AIBU to think that a mini roundabout is still a roundabout and the normal rules should apply? Or am I misunderstanding the rules?

Yes.

Are you being deliberately obtuse? Or do you really not understand?

Do you think if they don’t have to do a full emergency stop, then you’ve done thing wrong? You are very very wrong and a really shitty driver.

If someone to your right has to slow down because of you then you are wrong to drive. If they have using their horn then it is exactly because they had to slow down for you.

You should not be on the road. You’re lucky you haven’t pulled out in front of someone not paying attention.

Not read all the responses yet but I can see the general pattern:

Everyone is correct @AndiOliversGlasses , you should be giving way to the cars approaching from the right if you will affect them. Their only duty is to be slow enough to give way to traffic from their right.

The cars from the left are not giving way because you are not driving onto the roundabout at a guess. If you sit and wait for them to stop, most won't, they will accept your kind invitation to continue. If it is clear right and someone is approaching from the left, you slowly enter the roundabout monitoring them to make sure they behave.

My authority is 35 years driving and 11 years as an ADI.

The horn is to alert someone to get out of your way. It tends, however, to be used as a way of communicating anger after the event.

Yes those three points are perfectly accurate. I can see you’re trying to be snarky but in actual fact that’s what everyone does.

Because this is not the rule of the road even if it makes sense. Roundabouts are so the flow is less affected, not so everyone needed to slow down

I’m not trying to be snarky. I am asking why driving like this would not make me competent? (“2 out of 3 at best” re safe/good visibility/competent)

It's not a race to see who gets on the roundabout first

But it showing you that you pulled out when you shouldn’t.

You said that you’re alway being beeped at. You said that you pull out even when you see traffic to your right because you believe you have time to go.

Do you see the problem? You believe you have time, but then you get beeped at… because you impeded them. You caused them to brake. Which means you did not have time to go.

How can you still believe you are driving correctly and not impeding other drivers?

Because they are arseholes.

I think we should be encouraging drivers to maintain flow. If we all merge and accommodate each other, it’s much more efficient than strictly enforcing priority rules. Now the roads are so full, priority is becoming unwieldy.

How exactly? They approached from your right, they had priority over you, their way was clear to go and then bam… there you are pulling out in front of them, when you should not be.

How are they the problem?

You’re just a dickhead driver. There are a lot of you. You fit in well.

Nah they are mostly arseholes in Teslas who don’t slow down when approaching mini roundabouts with zebra crossings in front of them.

Yes, and people do, otherwise people would be driving into you daily. Beeping a horn is just showing (valid) annoyance at being forced to give way when they shouldn’t have to.

There's one similar to the OP's description near me. It is a bit frustrating if you're coming out of the side road because there tends to be a lot of traffic from the right which allows the traffic from the left to treat it a bit like a T junction as they can usually just go straight on.

The only way to deal with it is to give way to the right as the rules state but also enter somewhat cautiously in case the traffic from the left doesn't stop.

It's just the way it is.

I can see how, if you were expecting everyone to agree with you, disagreement might feel uncomfortable. But a beating is hardly what happened.

This has got to be a wind-up because surely no-one is as obtuse in real-life as the OP! If you are on the receiving end of being beeped at more than once in a blue moon, you’re clearly in the wrong 😂

Because provided no-one is on the roundabout going all the way around it, anyone coming from your right has no-one to give way to so they probably won’t slow down much.
I do agree though that these set ups leave very little time for people trying to get on to the roundabout from your side, because of the above situation.

And you would be the one found at fault because you were the one who was supposed to give way, regardless of the speed of the other vehicle (assuming it’s not over the speed limit).

The vehicles to you left are going ahead because they can see that you need to be giving way, so it’s perfectly safe for them to go ahead too.

You are not in control of their driving only your own.

“No wonder you’re getting beeped!”
”You’re driving like a dickhead”
”You’re a shitty driver”
”You shouldn’t be on the road”
to quote a few. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been around enough to know this is how it goes, but I have also been around long enough to know that it always goes this way no matter how reasonable the OP is, so I have nothing to lose by not accepting every answer without challenge.

But how would it work to only give way to traffic already on the roundabout? By the time it's on the roundabout it's a split second from hitting you. Obv on bigger roundabouts you have much more time.

Because people used to decelerate on approach, and adjust their speed according to other traffic.

Now people continue without that momentary lifting off the accelerator that people used to do when approaching a potential hazard. The old, pretend everyone else is about to make a mistake, approach.

I would remind everyone here that people were taught in different ways and indeed may misremember what they were taught. Don’t rely on everyone behaving as you expect.

Well exactly. That’s why you have to give way to it!

Oh my goodness no, you need to slow down and see if someone is approaching and stop if they are. I’m gonsmacked by this