Roundabouts allow traffic to flow more efficiently and are far safer than other types of junctions
- but they can’t be used everywhere, as there isn’t always enough space.
This is why the mini-roundabout was developed - it can fit into sites that don’t have enough
room for a normal roundabout, and offer most of the advantages of a full sized roundabout.
However, a new driver approaching a busy mini-roundabout might be unsure of where to look or when to go -
so in this video we will show how to use a mini-roundabout safely.
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Mini roundabouts are often used to replace a normal t-junction in areas that have a high flow of traffic.
This is because a mini roundabout gives equal priority to vehicles approaching from all directions,
and reduces any traffic queues to a minimum.
Unlike a junction with traffic lights, vehicles using a mini-roundabout spend very little time stationary -
which saves time and fuel.
Also, when the road is quiet, the mini-roundabout doesn’t cause any delay
as we can cross the roundabout in any direction without stopping.
It is important to look out for the sign for a mini-roundabout,
since they are otherwise difficult to spot from a distance,
because the island in the centre is much lower than a normal roundabout.
Mini roundabouts work in the same way as a normal roundabout -
we Give Way to the right, then enter the junction and continue our journey.
There is usually good visibility as we approach,
so it is often easy to see if we will need to stop for other traffic or not.
Even though we primarily look to the right on approach,
it is wise to look left as well just in case another driver is driving too quickly to give way to us.
It is far better to give up our priority and stay safe than have a crash.
When turning left the white car would indicate left, and look to the right for traffic.
Once the red car gives way to the car on its right, the white car is safe to continue.
If we watch again from in-car we can see the normal approach routine is used,
before looking to the right once more.
After waiting for the grey car to pass,
we cross the give way line and accelerate up to speed.
When driving straight ahead, the red car would not need to indicate.
Once they see that the van is going ahead,
they are safe to enter the roundabout and continue their journey.
We approach the junction carefully, to give us time to understand where others are going.
Once we see that the silver car to our right is giving way to the grey car to their right,
we are safe to continue.
There is no need to indicate when leaving the mini-roundabout
as no-one would benefit from our signal.
When turning right it is essential to indicate right,
as our signal will warn other traffic they need to give way.
The white car has to Give Way to 3 cars to its right,
but once they have passed the white car can continue.
Any traffic approaching from the left should Give Way to the white car once it enters the roundabout.
We should steer around the centre of the mini roundabout if possible,
but if there isn’t enough room or we’re driving a large vehicle it’s OK to drive across the centre.
Once we reach the roundabout, we Give Way to our right once more,
and then check to the left for danger before we continue.
Since our right indicator and position makes it clear where we are going,
there is no need to indicate when leaving the mini-roundabout - although you can do so if you like.
At rush hour there might be continuous traffic approaching the mini-roundabout from all directions.
If we can’t see a gap in the traffic to our right, we can look to our left for a car
that is approaching the roundabout with a right indicator flashing.
When this car enters the roundabout, the traffic to our right will have to give way to them -
which gives us a few seconds to safely enter the roundabout.
Alternatively, a car to our right that is indicating left will also give us a chance to go.
With experience these opportunities get easier to anticipate
and we rarely have to wait at the Give Way line for long.
Sometimes three cars arrive at the roundabout at the same time,
give way to each other and all stop at their Give Way lines.
If this should happen it is normally OK to carefully cross the Give Way line and enter the roundabout.
Even if another car does this at the same time,
there is room to carefully cross the roundabout together and continue.
In some places we might find two or more mini-roundabouts grouped together to make a larger junction.
These can be confusing at first - but we just need to treat each mini-roundabout separately.
Sometimes there are up to 6 mini-roundabouts in a circle,
which means there can be more than one way to get to the same destination.
This time we want to drive ahead, so on approach we look at the road sign
as it shows the layout of the junction and lets us plan where we need to go.
As always, we slow down and look to the right before crossing each Give Way line.
If we find ourselves in the wrong lane for where we want to go,
it’s safest to follow where the lane goes and take a different route.
A detour is far better than a crash!
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