How should you approach a roundabout?

Yielding to traffic already in the roundabout is the correct approach when navigating a roundabout. This practice ensures that vehicles inside the roundabout have the right-of-way, allowing for smoother traffic flow and minimizing the risk of collisions. Before entering, drivers should assess the situation, looking for gaps in the traffic to merge safely.

In a roundabout, the key is to maintain a continuous flow of vehicles, so yielding gives you time to gauge the speeds and positions of other drivers already circulating in the roundabout. While it might seem intuitive to speed up to enter quickly, doing so can lead to dangerous situations if there isn’t adequate space or time to merge safely.

Stopping before entering the roundabout can also create confusion and impede the flow of traffic, as vehicles behind you may not expect a stop when traffic design dictates yielding instead. Moreover, turning left rather than right contradicts the typical circulation pattern of vehicles in roundabouts, where drivers generally remain to the right of the center island.