Can you change lanes in a roundabout

IF trying to navigate roundabouts is driving you around the bend, you are not alone.

IF trying to navigate roundabouts is driving you around the bend, you are not alone.The RACQ regularly receives complaints about incorrect use of roundabouts and has warned drivers to brush up on the rules for using them or cop a fine.Failing to correctly indicate on a roundabout can cost a driver a $66 fine and two demerit points.Sue Sewell, the owner of Maroochy Driving School, said the biggest mistake motorists made on roundabouts was failing to indicate properly."When you leave a roundabout, you turn on your left indicator to indicate that you intend to leave," Mrs Sewell said."A lot of people, when they are going straight ahead through the roundabout, put their right indicator on and they leave it on until they leave the roundabout and it flicks off," she said.Mrs Sewell said the problem with roundabout use stemmed from an old road rule that once required drivers to indicate right if they intended to go straight through or right round a roundabout.She  said incorrect indicating was dangerous and interrupted the flow of traffic that roundabouts were designed to maintain."It makes for bad-tempered driving and it can cause accidents because the person sitting at the roundabout is thinking, 'I don't know where that person's going', and someone drives into the back of them while they're waiting," she said."An examiner told me that nose-to-tail accidents at roundabouts where people don't know what other motorists are doing are very, very common."Complaints about roundabout misdemeanours prompted the RACQ's senior road safety adviser Joel Tucker to remind motorists   how to use roundabouts."A vehicle approaching a roundabout must give way to all vehicles already on the roundabout," Mr Tucker said"Drivers should also pay attention to signs to help plan well in advance which exit they wish to take and obey any road markings, such as arrows, regarding the use of designated lanes."Mr Tucker suggested motorists think of a roundabout as a clockface, and indicate left if leaving before 12 o'clock, right upon entering if exiting after 12 o'clock, and not at all upon entering if travelling straight ahead, and always left upon leaving.Mrs Sewell said the best way to remember how to indicate when approaching a roundabout was to pretend that it was not there - indicate left for left, right for right, and none for straight ahead, but always indicate left to leave.

She said all drivers should stay abreast of updates to the road rules.

There are thousands of roundabouts across Australia and frequent drivers would probably meet one every day. But, as common as they are, roundabout road rules are often misunderstood. Motorists should know what a roundabout is, what they’re for and the road rules that govern their use. So have a read of the below to refresh your understanding.

Roundabouts manage the traffic flow at intersections. They move traffic in one direction around a central island. Vehicles can turn left or right, go straight ahead, or make a full turn (U-turn). Part 9 of the Road Rules 2014 details the legislation that covers roundabouts. Reg 114 explains how to give way when entering or driving in a roundabout, and reg 118 outlines indicating when leaving a roundabout. The road rules do not change depending on the size of the roundabout.

• The roundabout sign means Slow Down, prepare to Give Way and if necessary stop to avoid a collision.

  

• When approaching a roundabout, you must get into the correct lane, indicate if turning, and give way to traffic already on the roundabout.

• Enter the roundabout when there is a safe gap in the traffic.

• If you need to change lanes, you must indicate and give way to any vehicle in the lane you’re moving into. You can only change lanes where there’s a broken white line. You must not change lanes if the line is unbroken.

• When exiting a roundabout, whether you are turning left, right or straight ahead, you must always indicate a left turn just before you exit, if practicable.

• Look out for bicycles on a roundabout. They are entitled to use a full lane. Bicycle riders must follow the same rules as other drivers on roundabouts. However, on a multi-lane roundabout, they can use the left lane to turn right. When turning, they must give way to vehicles leaving the roundabout. Look out for bicycles stopped in the left lane who are giving way to vehicles leaving the roundabout.

• A driver entering a roundabout must give way to:

  (a) any vehicle in the roundabout, and

  (b) a tram that is entering or approaching the roundabout.

For this rule, give way means the driver must slow down and, if necessary, stop to avoid a collision. There is no specific legislation stating one must give way to the other if entering the roundabout at the same time, only that you must give way to any vehicle already in the roundabout.

However, common sense must prevail. As the rule states, a driver must slow down enough to be able to stop to avoid a collision if necessary. Many drivers enter and approach roundabouts too fast and if there was a collision and it was a result of them not slowing to be able to avoid a collision, then they may face penalties from the authorities.

Roundabout risks to watch for:

• Take extra care whenever you drive in a roundabout.

• Keep an eye out for cars that are leaving the roundabout.

• Be careful if changing lanes in a roundabout, particularly when leaving.

• Look out for vehicles that are making a full turn.

• Watch for pedestrians, bicycles, long vehicles and motorcycles.

It’s the way I was taught, it’s the way you were probably taught, and it’s the way we’re probably teaching our kids.

And we are all wrong.

If you ever wondered what the right way is to navigate roundabouts in Australia, how to navigate a multi-lane roundabout, or even who has the right of way when merging, we can almost guarantee that the majority of drivers are giving way to traffic on their right, and this, without exception, can earn you a ticket in every state and territory in Australia.

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A roundabout is, of course, a traffic device that was originally designed to replace intersections. They also work to reduce the instances of head-on collision, and are designed to keep traffic flowing through junctions and intersections.

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However, there is a widely held misconception that, upon approaching a roundabout, a driver is only required to give way to traffic on their right that is already in the roundabout. This is incorrect.

Roundabout rules in Victoria and NSW, as well as all other states and territories, expressly state that a driver is required to give way to ALL traffic in a roundabout.

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When entering a roundabout, a driver must give way to any vehicle, including bikes, in the roundabout, as well as any tram or light rail vehicle entering or approaching the roundabout.

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In many cases, this does mean giving way to vehicles approaching from the right. However, a vehicle may have entered the roundabout ahead of the driver from the left, and the driver will have to give way to this other vehicle to avoid a collision.

Fail to give way to a vehicle in the roundabout, and you could be up for a nasty fine. ACT roundabout rules are the most stringent, with a $451 fine and three demerit points docked from offending drivers. The same offence carries a $330 fine in NSW and a $378 sting in Queensland.

It’s a relatively affordable $159 in Victoria and Tasmania, and ‘just’ $150 for breaking roundabout rules in WA.

We’ve also been asking whether you can change lanes in a roundabout. The answer to this comes down to the same thing as changing lanes and overtaking: the line markings. A multi-lane roundabout will usually have direction arrows painted on the road surface ahead of each junction point, and these serve as the first point of reference.

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For example, the left lane of a two-lane roundabout will often feature a left-turn arrow incorporated into a straight-on arrow. This means you have a choice of taking a left exit or proceeding ‘straight’ through the roundabout.

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If the roundabout is marked with solid lines throughout, you’re locked into your lane choice.

When it comes to indicating when exiting a roundabout, that boils down to courtesy and common sense.

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Just like exiting any road, drivers have to signal left when leaving a roundabout if it’s practical to do so and turn off the indicator as soon as they have exited the roundabout.

When travelling straight ahead on a small single-lane roundabout, it may be impractical to indicate left when exiting. However, on larger, busier roundabouts, it can help traffic flow if you can briefly indicate your intentions to drivers waiting to enter the roundabout. It’s not a rule, however, and behaviour varies from state to state.