Time Magazine article~Traffic circles reduce injury rate.

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
I found this article very interesting. As an advocate for safety, I feel that it is well worth our time to support local efforts to put in traffic circles and roundabouts.

The small town I lived in until recently put one in a couple of years ago. WHile I will agree with critics that the building of the circles is a major pain, it is definitely worth the trouble.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1838753,00.html
 
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bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
they just put several in our town(we're not that far from Carmel, actually) and they are a PITA. Noone knows how to drive in them and people stop and the wrong people yield or go..it's maddening.
BUT, they absolutely do put you "on alert" and i can totally see how they would reduce serious injuries...iunlike a stadard stop light, where you might be "T-bioned" by someone running a red, everyone in the roundy is going somewhat slowly, and basically in the same direction (except of course for the A-holes who go the WRONG way in them..oh yes, we have LOTS of people who think that if they want to end up on the street to their left, they turn left into the roundy(clockwise) and literally nearly head -on those of us with working cerebrums..) but in general, even if you "crash" in one, it is going to be a side-on-side "brush against each other" type collision, which is generally going to produce little or no serious injuries.
 

Guest

New member
In America, they're deadly. Why? Cuz Americans can't drive. Driving tests are WAY too easy here. There's one at the local mall. Just put in. I hate the thing. I have no problems navigating it, but most people don't. They either get too scared to merge in and slam on their brakes or they blow right in at 40 mph without yielding. Either way, I've already seen countless near accidents in the short time they've put that thing in. Same with the few other roundabouts I've seen elsewhere in the US.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Thanks for posting the article link. :thumbsup: I've been meaning to post a related link and you jarred my memory to do so. :) IIHS has a helpful online video about roundabouts to cover the basics, sort of a Roundabout 101. Scroll down to the "Research, vehicle safety, and consumer information" section of this IIHS web video list and click on the video entitled, "How roundabouts work - learn the mechanics of a roundabout and how they help reduce crashes." If only it were mandatory viewing for every driver before driving through a roundabout for the first time. It helped me figure out how to navigate through one that was recently built in my area. The other clueless drivers I encountered in it could have benefited from watching it, too. At least they were driving very slowly instead of trying to beat a yellow or red light at a traditional intersection. :whistle:
 

mimieliza

New member
I live in a town that is CRAZY about roundabouts... I do see how they might reduce injuries and fatalities (slower speed, traffic all moving in one direction). But I would guess they actually increase minor accidents. They are difficult to get the feel for... my Subaru has a dented fender as evidence of my ineptitude when I first moved here.

Now I'm a roundabout fan, but man, if you don't know what you're doing they can throw you for a loop (pun intended).
 

capeKO71

New member
Yeah... I have to say I don't agree with them reducing injury... maybe injury because people are going slightly slower... but here on Cape Cod, we have just removed 1 major rotary (spending millions) and will probably remove more as time goes on... it's a nightmare in the summer because people come from all over and half of them have no idea how to drive in a rotary. The only accident I've ever been in was IN a rotary (I was on the hard inside with right of way and some crazy guy in a big work truck flew out into the rotary side swiping me... )
 
I live right outside Carmel, and I enjoy the roundabouts...as long as there are no other cars around. Like previous posters have said, most people just don't seem to understand the concept.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
I agree with everything said. I'm all for roundabouts to prevent accidents, but first, while construction is underway, they need to up the training and make everyone required to know how to navigate them properly (or just give us all tickets to sweden... we could carseat shop and take driver's ed)
 

Neatfreak

New member
The city that I grew up in (and learned to drive in) had several, so they're a normal road feature for me. I believe that more are being built as "traffic calming measures", particularly near schools.
 

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