How Safe Are Roundabouts? (And How To Drive Them)

PLEASE NOTE: This article is not intended to provide legal advice, and is no substitute for speaking with a licensed attorney. If you have been seriously injured and have questions, please contact a lawyer. You can reach our office—the Law Office of Benjamin A. Pepper, PLLC—at (360) 733-3966 or via our website at https://bpepperlaw.com.

Bellingham, and all of Whatcom County, used to have very few roundabouts. But over the last ten years, numerous roundabouts have been constructed—in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Deming, Blaine, and many more places—even replacing traffic lights or stop signs in several major intersections. Some drivers love them, and some drivers hate them, but are they really safer than traffic lights and stop signs?

Roundabouts have their pros and cons, and the statistics bear that out—there are arguments on both sides. Some statistics show that there is a learning curve for drivers using roundabouts, and that accidents have increased in several intersections with new roundabouts. This would suggest that roundabouts are less safe than traditional intersections. The number and severity of injuries at those intersections, however, has decreased—suggesting that, even if roundabouts tend to lead to more accidents, those accidents are less serious and less likely to involve serious injury or death. And this makes intuitive sense: Roundabouts are new to some people and can be confusing to drive, so drivers may make more mistakes in them and cause more accidents. But given that the curves are designed to force drivers to go slowly, the accidents that do happen are happening at slower speeds, so drivers and passengers are less likely to be seriously hurt.

If this is true, most people would likely agree that 5 fender-benders where no one is hurt are better than one serious collision where someone is paralyzed or killed. And as those who drive regularly in Whatcom County become more familiar with driving roundabouts, ideally we can decrease those fender-benders, as well. To that end, the Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) provides a bulletin on “How to drive a roundabout,” including tips for single-lane roundabouts, double-lane roundabouts, and driving trucks, RVs, or other oversize vehicles through roundabouts. Driving single-lane roundabouts is relatively straightforward, but it is worth reading at least the section on double-lane roundabouts. There are also a few common questions that come up:

Do I need to use my turn signal when exiting a roundabout?

You should absolutely use your turn signal when exiting a roundabout. This helps other drivers entering the roundabout know whether they can enter safely, and helps pedestrians and others in or around the roundabout know where you are heading. Whether a turn signal is legally required, however, is a different story. The law governing turn signals, Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 46.61.305, does not mention roundabouts specifically. And the language of the statute can be interpreted both ways. Some police officers have even disagreed on how to interpret it. But suffice to say, signaling when exiting a roundabout is useful, easy, and certainly cannot hurt, so the best practice is to signal as a courtesy to other drivers and pedestrians. Note, however, that if you are changing lanes in a multi-lane roundabout (only permitted over a dashed white line, as noted below), your turn signal is definitely required by law.

Can I change lanes inside a roundabout?

Generally, no. As with any multi-lane road, if the white line between lanes is dashed, you may change lanes if it is otherwise safe to do so. If the white line is solid, changing lanes is not permitted. Roundabouts, however, very rarely include dashed white lines. The Washington DOT specifically advises that drivers pick a lane and stay in it throughout the roundabout. Which lane you pick will determine where you can exit (middle lane for straight, left, or U-turn; right lane to exit right). Many of the low-speed collisions referenced above occur due to lane changes, so it is definitely best to pick a lane and stick with it.

If miss my exit, can I make a U-turn?

Yes, as long as you stay in your lane. You can just keep going around and around if you need to. For example, if you need to exit right but forget and keep going, just continue in your lane in a circle around the roundabout, and then exit when you get back to where you intended to go. There is no need to take another exit and stop to turn around, and drivers should never back up inside a roundabout. Simply stay in your lane and drive around the full circle of the roundabout to get back to where you were going and exit.

Where do pedestrians cross a roundabout?

Of course, it is always important to keep a lookout for pedestrians. But in and around roundabouts specifically, many drivers do not seem to expect to encounter crosswalks. There are often crosswalks near roundabouts. Generally, crosswalks are placed across the connecting roads within approximately 5–20 feet of the roundabout. So, when entering or exiting a roundabout, be aware that you may very well be driving through a crosswalk, and use extreme caution and yield to pedestrian traffic. If you are on foot, be sure to cross in the crosswalk, and do not attempt to cross through the roundabout circle itself—drivers will definitely not be expecting you there.

Some of these answers may seem obvious (except for the turn signal . . . it seems that no one can agree on that), but with so many low-speed accidents in roundabouts, we may as well be sure that we are driving them correctly. Even if no one is seriously injured, it is still inconvenient and expensive to get a bumper, headlight, or door panel repaired after a minor collision.

Additionally, public opinion on roundabouts seems to be improving in Washington as drivers become more familiar with them. A survey conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed that, before construction of roundabouts, 31 percent of those surveyed were in favor of them, and 41 percent were “strongly opposed.” After construction was complete and drivers became more familiar with roundabouts, however, those numbers changed to 63 percent in favor, and only 15 percent strongly opposed.

Ultimately, it appears that, although drivers unfamiliar with roundabouts are more likely to make mistakes and cause a crash, the slow speeds in roundabouts lead to less dangerous crashes and fewer injuries and deaths. That seems like a good thing overall, and if we can all become more familiar with roundabouts and drive them correctly, they will become even safer.