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Traffic Week: Turn, Turn, Turn: About Round Abouts, Roundabouts, Round-Abouts

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Most people (at least those who never had to pass a driver test in the U.K.) don’t know how to navigate Roundabouts, but they can learn. DMV can’t teach everyone, but they and you can at least try to teach yourself and your fellow Oregonians some basic rules. (And count your blessing we don’t, yet, have the Double Roundabout – yikes! See the DVLA for more info on driving in Great Britain.)

HOW TO NAVIGATE A ROUNDABOUT:

1) Official Rules, read the DMV driver pamphlet (large file, 5+ MB – if you survive the download, look for the word “roundabout”)

2) Chapter 811 of the ORS (search for the word roundabout), or

3) Check out the DMV Roundabout website. (There’s a video, but sadly, not online, and I sincerely doubt you will want to read “MODERN ROUNDABOUTS FOR OREGON,” #98-SRS-522, by Thaweesak Taekratok, for Oregon Department of Transportation, Research Unit, 200 Hawthorne SE, Suite B-240, Salem, OR 97310, June 1998.)

General Rules:
1) Stop before entering the roundabout
2) Drivers IN the roundabout, entering from your left, have the right of way
3) Merging drivers wait for a safe opening in traffic
4) Drivers LEAVING the roundabout, MUST USE THEIR TURN SIGNALS, to signal that they are leaving the roundabout
5) See above Official Rules for specifics
6) Oh, yes: breathe, stay calm, breathe, calm, and for heaven’s sake – stay alert (e.g. get off the phone)

Traffic Week and Traffic Law OLR blog posts.

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