Roundabout road rage

canaster

Hi Folks

Friend of mine was entering a roundabout this afternoon. There are four exits on the roundabout and the approach lanes are clearly marked. Traffic exiting at the first or second exit take the left hand lane. Traffic taking the third or fourth exit take the outside lane.

She wanted the second exit so waited in the left hand lane for the traffic to clear and then entered the roundabout. The guy in the outside lane entered the roundabout at the same time as her and then started to blast at her on the horn. He then cut in front of her and took the second exit

The experience has unnerved her and I have been trying to figure out what could be the reason for his outburst. My first thought was that he had not read the road markings correctly and believed that he was in the correct lane and my friend was in the wrong lane. But there are two problems with this. First of all she had not even got to the first exit before he started his tantrum; for all he knew she was going to turn off there. Secondly he took the exit for the local supermarket and was seen parking his car there so may very well have been a local man with good knowledge of the local area.

Any thoughts welcome.

mikey72

You sound like you just met strider!
Ignore it.

scheming_gypsy

Was she indicating?
Some people say to indicate right and then to indicate left when you've gone past the first turning. If she was it's possible she was giving the impression that she was taking the third exit?

The_Turner

She needs to move on and forget about it.

Strider590

Obey the signs and road markings, you can't go wrong.

forgotmyname

Without actually being there its hard to say. So many islands around he i see it all the time.

Dual carriageway that opens to 3 lanes as it reaches the island, Left hand lane opens into 2 lanes. But
the amount of people that approach in the right hand lane then cut to the middle lane then take the right hand
lane onto the island puzzles me.

Another one again a dual carriageway opens into 3 lanes, Left lane is turn left or go straight on, Centre lane
straight on and right hand lane for right only.

For some strange reason the people in the left hand lane cannot actually keep to the left and try to go straight on
into the centre lane on the island.

canaster

Thanks for replies folk's. She was not signalling.

I think she will be fortified by your answers and will be able to move on. Thank you.

Strider590

There's a strange roundabout near my GF's house, it's 3 lanes, lane 1 goes left/straight/right (90 degree's), lane 2 goes right (90 degree's), lane 3 goes right 145 degree's. You often get people in lane 3 trying to take the 90 degree right and coming into conflict with people in the correct lane.

People these days just don't read the road markings........ Around Birmingham I think they're incapable OR the road markings mean something entirely different in their native language OR more than likely they're one of those many years ago who got friends/family to do the driving test for them.....

momoyama

I think partly it's a generation thing, although there's no excuse for not keeping up with the Highway Code. My Dad believes that you always use the offside lane for the second exit, unless otherwise signed (assuming three exits). He says it's how he was taught. I maintain he's wrong and anyway they didn't have roundabouts when cars were pulled my stegosauruses as they were when he passed his test.

anotherbaldrick

I sympathise, around here most roundabouts are booby traps. It is impossible to be in the perfect lane all the time as the layouts of some demand lane changing ( more exits than lanes) Just keep an eye on both mirrors as to what other cars are up to and indicate and pray.

marlot

I wonder if the reason for the outburst was her drifting from her lane and 'straightlining' the roundabout?

It happens to me on one roundabout near here regularly - people going straight ahead don't leave enough room for people in the lane to their right.