- Drivers understanding that the yield sign at the roundabout does not translate into a stop sign!
vs. 
Let's take a look at their similarities and differences?
- They both have large amounts of red color
- One is triangular and the other is octagon
- Each sign has one word with capital letters, but the words are not the same
- None of the letters in the words are the same
Based on the clear differences, drivers should not have any problem distinguishing these signs when encountering them. Particularly, as in roundabouts there are NEVER any STOP signs, only yield signs!
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| By Michigan.gov |
So, if the differences are so clear, why do drivers have so many problems interpreting the yield sign correctly? Could the Internet provide some help in this matter?
Well, of course! Many states have their own directions for people on how to use roundabouts. Some have even created YouTube videos. Here is the one for Michigan:
Even the video is clear: drivers keep moving, only yielding to cars already in the roundabout! Yet twice a day (on most days) I feel like taking out my imaginary loudspeaker and communicating with the driver in front of me that it is okay to keep on driving when there are no cars in sight! Perhaps the secretary of state should consider adding a new question to the test that new and old drivers have to take: "Which sign really means that you have to stop, yield or stop?"
Something to ponder as I begin to relax and let go of some (or maybe even most) of the frustrations that this school year brought along. Perhaps I won't even think about the roundabout--at least for a few days!
Some stop for me while 'they' are in the roundabouts, Jaana. I'm at a loss as to the solution. If you find one, let us all know!
ReplyDeletePerhaps a special on the news when there are not much else to report:)
DeleteI first encountered "round a bouts" (aka traffic circles) when I moved to New Jersey. They were very intimidating to me! I had to get comfortable with being aggressive to get in and out. I also had to get comfortable with the idea that I might have to go round and about more than once if I didn't get into the correct lane in time. However, from my house the shortest route to the Shore included a traffic circle and I was motivated by my desire to get to the beach as quick as possible!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you are on the right track, motivation!!! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThis Slice had me giggling to myself. I mean, the way you lay it all out there - with the graphics and the video - how can people not understand? You're going to have to do some calming breathing exercises next time you enter the roundabout!
ReplyDeleteI think during the summer I can avoid roundabouts. I will save all my energy for the school year:-)
DeleteI hate roundabouts! I am ok with one lane roundabouts, but you add two lanes and I am bound to get honked at and possibly flipped off! I am surprised that I haven't wrecked someone yet. I don't tend to have problems with the yield vs stop, it is more getting out of them! :0)
ReplyDeleteMy roundabout just has two lanes, but I know what you mean. Last summer while driving in D.C. I missed an exit! I was not used to one roundabout having five or six exits.
DeleteI LOVE that there's a video about how to drive in these. I think it should be mandatory for everyone to watch this every three months lest they forget how to drive in them!
ReplyDeleteStacey, I had no idea how much information different states provide for their citizens on how to drive/use a roundabout! I was amazed! Yet, I have never seen or heard of any of this information. The information must just be moving with the wind on the cloud.....
DeleteYou mean they don't mean the same thing. I know, I bet drivers think the signs are for others, not them. Glad I live in a community where there isn't even a traffic light.
ReplyDeleteBut you might encounter one as you accompany your wife to the quilting shows.....
ReplyDeleteHaha! I love this post. First of all, in my home state of Massachusetts we called them rotaries...we were getting rid of them...I moved to Virginia (15 years ago) and now they are starting to build them. It's frustrating because no one knows how to drive in them. Sigh...I'm with you...avoid, avoid, avoid. Thanks for the great post! :) Happy Driving!!!
ReplyDeleteHaha! I had to laugh to myself while reading your post. I hate driving through/around roundabouts. I grew up calling them either rotaries or traffic circles and hated them back then, too! Maybe it should be added to driver's ed....right after parallel parking, you have to prove that you can successfully get through a roundabout, or you can't get your license. ;)
ReplyDeleteIn New Jersey we call them circles. Can't stand them. My sons said they are a game of chicken and the person with the oldest car wins because people with new cars always yield.
ReplyDelete"Rotaries" in Maine drive me nuts...sometimes people who are supposed to be yielding don't. We don't have stoppers, we have just goers. Yield means stop if you can't get in safely.
ReplyDeleteThey were getting rid of all of them when they suddenly decided that they would save gas keeping everyone moving instead of stopping. Some of ours are so small cars with a small turning radius could get stuck!
My city has become obsessed with roundabouts. It's getting ridiculous! They're sprouting up everywhere, replacing perfectly fine intersections... we now have to go through 4 roundabouts on a 5-minute drive to the post office. LOL! They can be nice... but not in excess!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are getting more and more of them - some are scheduled to be built near schools and busy intersections. I don't like them myself, but see the need for them. Too many people don't follow the rules and end up cutting drivers off.
ReplyDeleteI love roundabouts, because I am always getting lost and I feel they give me the option to right my path. I am probably one of those drivers for whom you will need a loudspeaker to say: MOVE!
ReplyDeleteJaana,
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh. I might be the person you are talking about. I don't stop if the roundabout is clear, but I must admit I stop when traffic is coming through in times I probably should keep going.
Roundabouts have become more common in our area. I've never liked them, but my husband loves them. I have to admit that the more I go through them, the more I like them. I'm learning how to dance my way around the circle.
Thanks for the chuckle,
Cathy
I like that instead of just being annoyed you turned this situation into a humorous post. You never know what goes on in the head of other drivers.
ReplyDeleteMany people confuse older styles of circular intersections with modern roundabouts. East coast rotaries, large multi-lane traffic circles (Arc D’Triomphe), and neighborhood traffic circles are not modern roundabouts. If you want to see the difference between a traffic circle, a rotary (UK roundabout) and a modern roundabout (UK continental roundabout), go to http://tinyurl.com/kstate-RAB to see pictures. And here’s another site that shows the difference between an older rotary and a modern roundabout: http://tinyurl.com/bzf7qmg
ReplyDeleteThe FHWA (http://tinyurl.com/fhwaRAB) has a video about modern roundabouts that is mostly accurate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhHzly_6lWM ).
Hawai’I video rules http://youtu.be/wEvUPUSLCwc?t=3m1s
IndyDPW animation: http://tinyurl.com/IndyDPWrabVideo
Kentucky video: http://tinyurl.com/KYrabVideo
Maryland video: http://tinyurl.com/MDrab
Michigan animation: http://tinyurl.com/MIrabVideo
Missouri video: http://tinyurl.com/MOrabVideo
Montpelier, VA videos http://tinyurl.com/montpelVArab
Washington video: http://tinyurl.com/WArabVideo
Wisconsin animation: http://tinyurl.com/kv23jan
Wisconsin video: http://tinyurl.com/rabWI
Winnipeg animation http://tinyurl.com/wnnipegRAB
Windsor-Essex Parkway, Canada: http://tinyurl.com/windsoressexRAB
Magnify http://tinyurl.com/CuteRAB