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?

No I've never been to the UK. But roundabouts generally flow pretty well here, because there's not too much stopping... everyone just flows around. Many of them are a decent size though.
There are small roundabouts, but they generally are not in a busy area.

There are 8 pages of replies telling OP they’re wrong and not driving correctly. If it hasn’t sunk in by now it’s not going to!

lol. I know how slow 20mph is. But thanks.

If traffic is approaching you have to wait, that’s the rule of a roundabout, give way to the right. You can’t just go as you think that car should be driving slower. You’re BU

Yes how has this gone on for 8 pages. From the OP's approach this is an annoying roundabout as you could be waiting ages to get out but that's the way it works. Just have to wait for a suitable gap..the cars coming from OP's right don't need to yield and have clear view of what is coming due to the way this particular roundabout has been laid out. End of..

It's quite concerning that you have a drivers license and yet don't know how to manoeuvre a mini roundabout.

It's simple. Everyone shows down on the approach to the roundabout. You don't wait until you're at the junction to look what's going on, you look at the situation as you're approaching the roundabout. If there are cars approaching from the right and you don't have time to go, you stop and wait. If there are no cars approaching or on the roundabout, you can carry on at a safe and appropriate speed.

Please go and do some refresher lessons before you cause an accident.

I use a larger roundabout which is tricky like this. It's on a dual carriage way and I join it and turn right. The exit to my right is so close to my exit and I can only go when cars from my left are turning into my exit therefore forcing cars from my right to slow down.....the problem is they hate to slow down and often either zoom out in front of or behind the car coming round from the left making it really hard to find a gap to pull out. It's a bad design because there's faster traffic with a straight route over and then traffic rom my exit joins from a standstill.

I have a driving licence. Not a “drivers’ license”.

That's what you take from that post? Jeez! Everything said in that post is correct, so what if they referred to the piece of paper slightly different to how you do.

Read all the thread and I'm left wondering "What's your flaming hurry, OP? Why do you have to dash out in front of cars approaching on your right?"

They should. But you can't control what other people do, you can just make sure that YOU do the right thing. Which is give way to the right. Always.

The driver of the 40 tonne lorry if he is any good is driving defensively. He knows that his extra height gives him vision beyond that of a car driver. With that in mind he slows down on the approach to the roundabout, to again assess the situation and allow others to see and react to him.

Look at distance travelled at 20mph. With a direct line of site a car will cover 100 metres in 11 seconds.

The stopping distance for a car in dry conditions at 20mph is 3 car lengths or 12 metres, which at 20mph takes only ONE SECOND. Now imagine a bicycle pulling out that junction to turn right, which doesn't have the acceleration of a car. Could you safely stop should he/she join the carriageway?

I have a similar roundabout near me and drivers like you are so bloody dangerous op. Just accept that you're wrong.

Also remember that any vehicle actually on the roundabout has priority over anyone joining. That includes those coming from the right. If the OP has started her manouver and has entered the roundabout before the car from the right has reached the roundabout junction she has priority.

Dear god. This is so bloody worrying that people like you, who absolutely will not be wrong (even though you are), are out and about on our roads.

Are you saying that the approaching car should assume she may pull out and be able to adjust if she does?

Yes. That's how we all should be driving in every situation. As I stated earlier, my driving started on motorbikes. To stay safe we rode in the assumption that every other road user was out to kill us so made ourselves less vulnerable by increasing our visibility by road position and speed.

Also as I say in my previous post, if the OP has entered the roundabout ( gone beyond the give way markings), she has entered the roundabout and has priority over vehicles joining from any direction.

@ATenShun
My point is that OP thinks she's right all of the time and everybody should be allowing her out and giving way to her even from her right, not every lorry driver is good, hence why we need to be aware and alert at all time, not make assumptions on other road users, this woman is clearly an idiot and shouldn't be on the road.
This OP despite being told multiple times she is in the wrong still assumes her way is the right way.

I read the OP differently.
''Nine times out of 10 traffic coming from the right or the left doesn’t slow down''
She says that vehicles are beeping her as they haven't slowed down on approach. In which case they are in the wrong, and should they T-Bone her, could find themselves on a driving without due care charge.

Once she has entered the roundabout she has right of way, any vehicle approaching should have adjusted their speed on approach to account for that.

@ATenShun
If the traffic coming from OPs right has checked those coming towards them are not continuing around then they have the right of way to continue on, if they do hit OP; she is at fault as she has pulled out into oncoming traffic without checking it is safe to do so. It would be the same if it was a T junction, OP would again be at fault, those on a main road are not obliged to slow for those coming from side roads, so both of OPs scenarios of it's like a T junction or roundabout, she would be found at fault.
OP is the dangerous driver.

As stated before, the entry to a roundabout is a junction. If you have not adjusted your speed correctly on approach to that junction to account for vehicles having joined in front of you, then you are in the wrong.

Don't believe me, go visit your local police station and ask to speak to a traffic officer.

Using your theory of remaining at the speed of the road. I can name around 6 roundabouts on our local bypass I could in theory enter at 60mph as could the driver joining at the 90 degree position. Would that give either of us sufficient time to view, anticipate and adjust our speed? Of course not!

This is actually quite an interesting site to play around and see how traffic should behave. I adjusted the speed to 30kmh and traffic volume to 1000 vehicles an hour. Although it is German and they are all on the wrong side of the road. It gives a good indication of how we should slow on the approach to the roundabout.

https://www.traffic-simulation.de/roundabout.html

You don't need to keep repeating, I have not once referred to vehicles already on the roundabout, I'm referring to OP stating that cars to her right should be allowing her out/slowing to allow her to pull out, clearly if she's already in the roundabout she has right of way.

But why would it not slow down to a reasonable speed on approach so that I don’t need to give way, as we can both cross the roundabout at our own reasonable speeds?
This is a nonsense from OP.
It's not needing to give way, she has to give way to the right if not already on roundabout.