Let's talk driving: Roundabouts and left/right turning... (moving, cars)

[Lovehound]

In California (maybe not Arizona) you can left turn into any lane you want, but you have lower right of way than other vehicles e.g. somebody turning right into the same lane. Perhaps it's different in AZ. Two left turn lanes, I don't know what the law is, but it's not smart to start in the left left turn lane and end up in any lane than the fast lane, although perhaps you could get away with it if you were the only turning vehicle.

The reason roundabouts confuse people is that there are so few of them that many of the drivers are confused because they've never or only rarely encountered them. If they were all over the city everybody would learn how to handle them and would be comfortable.

When you think about it roundabouts are not that difficult to understand. Maybe even logical! But common sense is not very common and many drivers cannot be bothered to learn how to properly handle roundabouts. I bet you could figure it all out if you just parked near one and watched the traffic for a while. See what the dumb drivers are doing, and then don't do that!

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

...

It never seems to happen this way...either people making the left turn go into #2 or #3, or they honk at me for turning at the same time into my #3 lane, or people in front of me sit there until everyone making a left is finished...when in fact I think they should be able to make their turn.

Correct me if I'm wrong here...

You're completely right. It's hard for me to understand why driving is so complicated for some people, because it has to be one of the most straightforward things one can do. I'm down to 3 possibilities: The person is distracted, the person doesn't care, or the person has already killed/medicated what few brain cells they probably had (or they're just plain stupid).

To be honest with you, I think some people drive like idiots because they can. It's a lifestyle thing that appears to have a socioeconomic component. In really nasty areas, traffic borders on total anarchy. When out in the higher suburban areas, it's much more civilized. Not necessarily perfect, but more civilized.

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

You're completely right. It's hard for me to understand why driving is so complicated for some people, because it has to be one of the most straightforward things one can do.

Yet there are so many who do not deserve a license is out there driving a vehicle and people wonder why there are so many accidents. Driver License exams, mainly the road tests has to be a lot more strict, even evaluate the personality of the driver to a certain point. If the driver has "I simply do not care" attitude then the instruction should have "you simply do not pass" attitude.

SierraAZ you should care when driving, that "I couldn't care less" attitude can get you in trouble. A lot of people abuse the green light or at least take it for granted and they think they have the road to themselves. I personally pay extra attention at an intersection regardless of having a green light. This is a habit that came naturally by riding motorcycles because majority of the accidents seems to happen at an intersection.


AJ I totally understand about the turns and agree with you. In spite of what I wrote I always stick in the same lane that I started my turn in unless I had to change lanes due to an obstacles or avoid an accident, etc. (again using common sense if the bottomline).

AJ I see you became a moderator, nobody warned us about it but oh well...just kidding, congrats!

[tripper76]

I avoid the roundabout because people can't drive it. Every single time I have been in it, there's been a near miss. People can't even make turns at intersections with lights, arrows, and little dotted lines. You expect them to go in a circle with no stop signs? Ya right.

My pet peeve is when you have two left turn lanes and the dotted line extends into the intersection, meaning stay in your lane. The vehicle on the outside turn lane ALWAYS crosses that line into the inner turn lane rather than making the wide left that they are supposed to be making.

[nitram]

SierraAZ, the one and only roundabout is located at Happy Valley Rd and I-17. It's been there for several years, and as some have said, it's like a circus to watch people trying to manuver around, and around, and around.

[Stumblina]

They've just starting to put these demon circles in Michigan. Personally, I HATE them!!! They scare the hell out of me.

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by nitram

SierraAZ, the one and only roundabout is located at Happy Valley Rd and I-17. It's been there for several years, and as some have said, it's like a circus to watch people trying to manuver around, and around, and around.

There are actually more roundabouts than that. I encountered one recently in east Mesa at one of the new exits along the 202. I think ADOT is going to put them in at lots of new freeway interchanges as they are built.

There are also a fair number of roundabouts in the Central Phoenix historic districts. Those don't seem to cause as many problems because they're in places where traffic is light and speed is low.

[melinuxfool]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Someone almost ran into me earlier today because they were driving the inside lane, I figured they were continuing around the circle, so I merged into the outer circle...just as they shot from the inner circle toward the exit. If she would have planned ahead, she would have been in the outer lane and I wouldn't have merged.

I don't know how it is in Arizona, but here in Maine, you're not supposed to change lanes in a rotary (or roundabout, whatever they're calling them now). The rule is that you use the outside lane whenever you want to get off at the first or second exit. The inside lane is used when you want to get off at the second exit or beyond. And when you exit, you stay in your lane, in other words, when you're in the inside lane of the rotary, you exit by turning into the inside lane of the exit road.

This picture represents it well.

[HX_Guy]

Hmm...well looking at that diagram, I may have been in the wrong but I'm trying to figure out what the correct way to maneuver it would have been.

The other car was basically doing what the red one in the diagram shows...exiting to the left from the inner lane. I entered the roundabout at the top in the outer lane.

So in that situation, how would I know if the red car is going to continue around the circle or if they were going to exit to the left?

[melinuxfool]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Hmm...well looking at that diagram, I may have been in the wrong but I'm trying to figure out what the correct way to maneuver it would have been.

The other car was basically doing what the red one in the diagram shows...exiting to the left from the inner lane. I entered the roundabout at the top in the outer lane.

So in that situation, how would I know if the red car is going to continue around the circle or if they were going to exit to the left?

Ideally, the other car is supposed to signal their intent as they pass the exit prior to their intended exit. Personally, I never make it a practice to ride beside another vehicle because 80% of people on the road don't know how to drive in a straight line, let alone a rotary!