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?

This seems likely- @AndiOliversGlasses people from the left presume you will do the correct thing and stop for traffic coming from your right, therefore they can proceed.

This would only change if you are there before them and there isn’t anything coming from your right- in that case you proceed and the traffic from the left stops for you.

OP, you have the Highway Code exactly backwards. On both large and mini roundabouts, it is on the APPROACH to the roundabout that you must yield to the right. Once two cars are both in the roundabout, you do not yield to the right (indeed, you have no need to yield to cars on your right when you're already in in a full-size roundabout: that could only happen if they were in the wrong lane for their exit, in which case it's on them to go all the way around again -- they cannot force you to exit where you weren't planning to!)

Note that this rule applies to cars approaching the roundabout to your right, by the way. I often notice on mini-roundabouts, drivers mistakenly imagine that if they are signalling to exit to their right, they somehow have priority over drivers going straight. They don't.

Roundabout entry and exits are treated as junctions. Scroll to about 3:50 in this youtube video for the correct way to approach and join a roundabout.

I learnt to drive many years ago, firstly on motorbikes. The reason for slowing down on approach is not only to allow you to process the information and drive accordingly. But to allow other drivers to see you.

There isn’t a set speed to slow to though is there?

The op says the cars from the right in her case are travelling at approximately 20mph- without knowing the road conditions and visibility etc we can’t really know if it would be sensible to slow further.

can think of roundabouts where you always have to practically stop whatever lane you’re in, and others where just under 20 would be mostly fine.

I’ve read this three times and still can’t make head nor tail of what you are saying, sorry.

I think a lot of posters are being deliberately obtuse. For some reason, some MNers’ favourite pastime is to tell other people they are bad drivers.

Clearly OP does know how to use a roundabout. She’s specifically talking about those mini-roundabouts with three exits where one of the exits is much smaller and less used. The people travelling along the other two roads treat it like a t-junction where they are on the main road - when they’re really not. They should approach it like a roundabout. They don’t need to stop, clearly, but they should not power through as if there isn’t a roundabout.

There’s one just like this near me. I’m always on the main drag so I’m not in OP’s position. But I see where she’s coming from; in fact, I came along there tonight and the person waiting to join from the smaller road just sat there; I was approaching from their left, but they just sat there waiting for me because, I imagine, they’re so used to people just whizzing past as if they have right of way. I’ve actually had someone thank me for giving way to them in that situation because it’s so unusual! The people who live down that road must just be used to people treating the mini-roundabout like a t-junction. Just like OP said of hers.

In the video that I posted which was from a driving school, the suggested speed was 10-15mph and from the diagram in that it looks to be a 2 lane approach with good all round visibility.

Going by the picture in the original post , I'd suggest walking pace would be a more appropriate speed when reaching the junction to enter the roundabout.

Yeah, I can’t think of a one lane mini that I would approach at 20 (in terms of my day to day routes)- they are all too tight.

The car coming along the main road to your right doesn't need to slow down because they aren't giving way to you, they would be giving way to approaching traffic coming straight towards them and indicating to turn right, down the road you are on. If there is no oncoming traffic, then they can see from a long way back that they don't have to give way to anyone. You are basically cutting them up.

But there usually is a steady stream of traffic joining from the left so the driver coming from the right should be slowing down because one of those cars may want to turn right and cross his path.

Everyone should slow down approaching a roundabout (mini or otherwise). You slow down, look right, if it's clear you proceed. By clear this means no traffic on the roundabout and no traffic close enough to the roundabout that they would have to brake if you pulled out. (Apply the same logic as turning right at a junction.) If there is oncoming traffic you stop and wait then proceed when clear. Each lane should do that.

If you are causing traffic to need to brake to avoid hitting you, you risk causing an accident.

If you are asking are other drivers breaking the road rules at this roundabout, sounds like no, as per the links PP have posted.

If you are asking are other drivers driving like dicks and being unsafe, sounds like yes! Especially if there is a pedestrian crossing at the right, that's so unsafe to fly through there, what if someone steps out onto it? Joggers and kids on bikes seem to appear out of nowhere sometimes!

Where I live, the rule is that you give way ONLY to traffic on the roundabout. BUT, so many people think the rule is you give way to anyone approaching on the right... so that means that the safe and sensible thing to do, is to give way to cars approaching on the right (if you don't have a big enough space to go before them). I'm teaching my kids to drive, and I am teaching them "would you rather be right, or in an accident?".

So yes OP I agree that people are driving unsafely and it's frustrating, but if you want to avoid an accident, you're just going to have to deal with it unfortunately.
If you are sitting there forever waiting for streams of cars coming from your right, it sounds like they perhaps need to look at replacing the roundabout with traffic lights.

You are wrong. I literally failed my first driving test on this. There was a car coming from my right, not yet on the roundabout, so I pulled out. The examiner judged that it was dangerous of me to have done so and I ought to have waited because he had right of way.

And yes, they are supposed to slow down as they approach the roundabout. You, however, are not supposed to cause them to slow down by pulling out in front of them. That is dangerous driving, and you don’t get exempt from that by claiming that they started it.

They have the priority to carry on. You can only join ahead of them if your actions don't force them to change speed.

If you don't change your approach to this roundabout, one day you're going to misjudge it badly enough or cut up a distracted driver, and they're going to drive right into your door. If it's that hard to join, perhaps change your route to avoid.

What about if a 40 tonne lorry is coming from your right, they can see clearly there is nobody to slow for , you pull out because you think they should slow down, you are now dead and have caused a catastrophic rta.
Do you still think you shouldn't give way?

I’m not a complete idiot.

I beg to differ and you haven't yet miraculously caused an incident.
If you expect traffic to slow down to allow you out, all traffic then slows , this is blind ignorance on your part.
You've now had 100s telling you you're wrong and yet persist in trying to twist it to suit your poor driving.

Where do you live?

"But there usually is a steady stream of traffic joining from the left so the driver coming from the right should be slowing down because one of those cars may want to turn right and cross his path."

The speed limit for the road is 20. This is to allow time for any decisions to be made and reduce injury to pedestrians. At 20, there is no need to slow down because you're already going sooooo slow. If the left are going right, they'll be indicating. This will cause the right to stop and give way. If they don't indicate, at a speed limit of 20, everyone will have time to react. That's probably why you haven't had an accident pulling out on people - the reduced speed limit allows time to react.

Not the UK.

Look, if it makes you feel better that you have educated some random person on the internet not to drive out in front of 40 tonne trucks then fine, I’ll let you believe that’s what has just happened. Makes no difference to me.

@wandawaves have you driven in the UK? How does approaching a roundabout differ? I'm wondering if essentially everyone stops for the roundabout (apart from those you've mentioned obviously) meaning there's a reduced traffic flow or increased accidents/risk of? I imagine this rule changes the drivers behaviour significantly. I'm not sure if I think it's better or not. I think it could be if done correctly but as we all know, the percentage that do it correctly either way round isn't great. 😂

20 is not as slow as you think. There are no 30 limit roads in this area. It’s the absolute max.

I think pp are wilfully misunderstanding tbh.

OP’s point is that drivers are treating the roundabout as if it doesn’t exist. Barrelling through as if they’re on a main road and the third exit is a t junction onto that main road. Hence they don’t slow down at all.

OP knows that you give way to the right. On a ‘normal’ roundabout with plenty of room and a fairly even distribution of traffic from each route, this works well. But on a three-road mini roundabout (even one with fairly even exits), you actually have to look at the whole thing as you approach; we’ve all been in that situation where all three drivers get there at roughly the same time and no one is sure who should go! Mini roundabouts are actually quite tricky in that regard. You cannot act as if it’s a main road with no obstacle.

On OP’s roundabout, cars don’t take that into consideration. They treat it as a straight through road.