Roundabouts - Give way to the right if a vehicle has not yet entered?

Martyn1981

fatbelly said:

I enjoy the dash cam channels ( keep hoping to spot myself in them) but in most cases the cammer is looking for an incident to upload so the tactic seems to be: accelerate into it, brake late and sound your horn while shouting 'sh1tting peugeot' or similar.

Funny you should say that, as another common clip I see is folk stationary waiting to join the roundabout, then as they get a gap they accelerate really hard towards the side of a car joining from the next entry the same time as them, but with less bhp / aggression.

Of course these are minor criticisms compared to the US vids, where folk drive straight at cars that are cutting them up, or jumping red lights, whilst blasting their horn. At the last moment before they crash, they do seem to try the brake pedal instead. I'm genuinely amazed, even impressed, at how fast an American driver can hit the horn, whereas Brits seem to prefer the brake pedal.

Maybe I'm just getting old. 

Mildly_Miffed

Yeh, I'm convinced that nobody in those US ones is actually looking where the hell they're going in the slightest, let alone where other traffic might be coming from.

Then, when it becomes obvious even to them...

"ERMAAAAAAAGEEEEEERD!<hooooorn><crunch>"
all while continuing on cruise, or even accelerating into it.

EssexExile

Mildly_Miffed said:

Yeh, I'm convinced that nobody in those US ones is actually looking where the hell they're going in the slightest, let alone where other traffic might be coming from.

Then, when it becomes obvious even to them...

"ERMAAAAAAAGEEEEEERD!<hooooorn><crunch>"
all while continuing on cruise, or even accelerating into it.

Yes, the American ones are good for crashes, the British ones are good for near misses.

LightFlare

I always go by the old adage of:

”never make a manoeuvre that causes another vehicle to change direction and/or speed”

Mildly_Miffed

So add 172 to the HC reading list... 

Beeblebr0x

facade said:

You enter the roundabout at a Give Way line, so you have to give way to traffic approaching from the right.

It doesn't matter if they haven't got to the roundabout yet, if pulling out causes them to have to change speed or direction so as not to collide with you, then you are in the wrong.

(Legally, TSRGD 2016 says you give way to traffic circulating on the roundabout, but if pulling out in front of someone just about to enter the roundabout causes an accident.........)

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/362/schedule/9/made

Whilst not wishing to cause an accident or make another vehicle take evasive action, how far away from the give way line should the vehicle on the right be before I give way? 5 yards, 10 yards? If everyone slowed down on the approach to a roundabout, driving would be a lot safer.

A lot of roundabouts in the Bexleyheath Pantiles area are busy mini roundabouts and you would get nowhere if you waited for the time when there was no vehicle in sight to your right before proceeding.

Car_54

Beeblebr0x said:

facade said:

You enter the roundabout at a Give Way line, so you have to give way to traffic approaching from the right.

It doesn't matter if they haven't got to the roundabout yet, if pulling out causes them to have to change speed or direction so as not to collide with you, then you are in the wrong.

(Legally, TSRGD 2016 says you give way to traffic circulating on the roundabout, but if pulling out in front of someone just about to enter the roundabout causes an accident.........)

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/362/schedule/9/made

Whilst not wishing to cause an accident or for making another vehicle to take evasive action, how far away from the give way line should the vehicle on the right be before I give way? 5 yards, 10 yards? If everyone slowed down on the approach to a roundabout, driving would be a lot safer.

There is no simple 5/10 yards answer, it depends entirely on the speed and position of the approaching vehicle. You have to use your judgement and experience.

Mildly_Miffed

Beeblebr0x said:

Whilst not wishing to cause an accident or making another vehicle take evasive action, how far away from the give way line should the vehicle on the right be before I give way? 5 yards, 10 yards?

Close enough that, when he enters, your presence would be in his way.

And, yes, it'd be nice if everybody else drove sensibly. All we can do is accommodate their idiocy and not let it put our safety at risk.

Beeblebr0x

Car_54 said:

Beeblebr0x said:

facade said:

You enter the roundabout at a Give Way line, so you have to give way to traffic approaching from the right.

It doesn't matter if they haven't got to the roundabout yet, if pulling out causes them to have to change speed or direction so as not to collide with you, then you are in the wrong.

(Legally, TSRGD 2016 says you give way to traffic circulating on the roundabout, but if pulling out in front of someone just about to enter the roundabout causes an accident.........)

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/362/schedule/9/made

Whilst not wishing to cause an accident or for making another vehicle to take evasive action, how far away from the give way line should the vehicle on the right be before I give way? 5 yards, 10 yards? If everyone slowed down on the approach to a roundabout, driving would be a lot safer.

There is no simple 5/10 yards answer, it depends entirely on the speed and position of the approaching vehicle. You have to use your judgement and experience.

I agree. I enter the roundabout if I happen to cross the line before the vehicle to my right does if I judge it's safe to do so.