PHOENIX — Today's Operation Safe Roads mailbag addresses an issue you might think is just common sense: how to navigate a roundabout.
But it's bad enough that viewers have written us, like Andrea in Mesa: "A lot of drivers do not have experience driving in roundabouts," she says. "There seems to be a lot of confusion and potential for problems...incoming traffic does not know that they must yield."
Andrea, you are right. Unlike the four way stop where you want to look to your right, when approaching a roundabout you slow down, look to your left, wait for a gap, and did I mention go slow? It's also important to watch for pedestrians, cyclists and emergency vehicles.
The idea of the roundabout is to cut down on unnecessary traffic and to keep cars moving.
Check out ADOT's "Focus on Driving" video about the modern roundabout:
Again, it seems simple. But it's important to know the rules of yielding and merging before you find yourself spinning out of control. After all, the purpose of the roundabout is to keep traffic moving and to reduce the number of crashes.
If you learn and obey the rules, this should be something you love as part of your commute instead of a confusing traffic circle of frustration.