If you are brought up properly, and have good manners as a result, don't you find it infuriating when people use the right-hand (right turn) lane at a roundabout to jump the queue when going straight on. They usually take the roundabout on the fly (itself a quite risky maneouvre) and try to beat people in the left hand lane to the exit. It has been my pleasure three times now (the latest this morning) to thwart these rude ******* with the scoob's brilliant acceleration, forcing them to go around the roundabout again. The thing is, I'm then left with the niggling feeling that I'm contributing to increased danger on the road by doing this; that I should let the ******* get on with it and drive safely myself without giving myself an ulcer and risking being involved in an accident. What do YOU all think?

 

Block away mate, I would if I were you.

 

Hell yeah, thats what I do, but I let them drop in behind me, so I can sit bang on the speed limit when they cant over take, it gets right on their nerves. Funny to watch them in the rear view though. They shouldn't be such cretins

 

Its not illegal to do, and I quite often use the middle or right lane to go straight on. Purposely blocking people is probably not a great idea.

 

This is correct. Take a look at the highway code section on RA use. The right lane CAN be used for going straight on.

 

I agree that it's not illegal, but it's contrary to established courtesy if it's a single-lane exit. It's just like any other queue, and I don't believe there are many people (that are too old to be participating in school dinner queues, anyway) that would try to force their way into a Post Office or Bank queue, so why is it OK to do it on the road? Besides, flying onto the roundabout like that, the driver must be anticipating the possibility that he might have to cut someone up on the exit. It's something I've had done to me a couple of times. Why create that situation in the first place?

And the middle lane tends to be for straight on traffic doesn't it?

 

That depends if the right hand lane (or left) is marked for a right (or left) turn only.

 

What irriates me is people turning right in the left lane

I mean wtf? does anyone know how to use lanes properly anymore?

Must in some special club which sets out the following rules:

Hog middle lane
Turn right in left lane
Get in right lane 3 miles before turning right
Drive at 40mph in a national speed limit road and still drive at 40 when you reach the 30mph limit of a village.
Indicate to exit an island one exit before the one you intend to turn off....no indication is a valid option.
Hesitate at islands and junctions until a minimum of 10 cars have stopped behind you.

I could go on forever

 

if this is on a single lan road or a dual lane that goes into a single after the roundabout then yes it does infuriate me. But there is a section in the highway code that goes along the line of that if the left lane is blocked or traffic is queued you can use the right lane to go straight on.

My interpretation of this is if the left lane is queing to turn left, then it is ok to use the right lane to go straight over, but if the traffic is queing to go straight over then it is just rude.

some people who do this use the highway code as the excuse that it is allowed and everyone should do it. i guess it is just down to interppretation.

w**kers

 

It annoys me more when people get in the right lane and do a circle of the roundabout to turn left.

 

There's an exception in the Highway Code specifically for Impreza RA's!?!?

 

Oh I do that sometimes, its a bit tricky on mini-roundabouts

 

That probably annoys you because you never thought of doing it or were too timid to try?

 

Yeah, the majority are queueing to go left but a significant number want to go straight on. It's the left-hand rule, as taught by my driving instructor, (which isn't really a rule but a code of courtesy that is designed to promote better and more thoughtful use of the roads) and it's a protocol that should be followed wherever lanes are not marked. Uncertainty as to what is expected in road situations ought to be weeded out .

 

Totally agree, that's what I was told during my bike lessons . But always be on guard for ***** going right in the left lane.

Dipster

 

How about when there's a long cue to go straight on, diving down the right hand lane, go round the roundabout once then go straight on. You're not cutting anyone up and you're abiding by the laws of the road - but its still cheeky.

 

No, I do it occasionally. I'm just a hypocritical tw@t

Still annoys me tho'

 

'What' does it achieve by doing this. Well, the driver who had to go round the roundabout again may think again before 'queue' jumping as he may ultimately lose out if he has to go all the way round He took a chance and lost.

IIRC the highway code says for a typical two lanes in, one lane out roundabout. left lane for turning left or going straight ahead, right hand lane for turning right. quite simple really.

 

Best one- There's a big queue of traffic in the inside lane wanting to go straight over. You drive down the right lane (outside) to the roundabout then turn right at it, carry on right till you find a cafe.

At the cafe pull in and order a coffee and a sticky bun and sit and relax laughing to yourself that the others are still queueing to go straight on.

To continue laughing to yourself just order another coffee, they'll still be there queuing.

 

Hahaha, see you in the cafe.

 

Y'know, strictly it is cheeky, but I wouldn't have a problem with that, because you are using roundabout etiquette correctly- so long as you indicate properly! What you are doing is not inherently likely to cause a problem.


And Spoon; LOL.... but I would recommend a pie.

 

I get much more stressed with people turning right from the left lane. From learning to drive I remember left lane for left and right lane for straight on and right.
There is also no problem carrying speed into a roundabout- you don't come up to a roundabout, stop and then check its clear do you? I hate people who do that
Oh and I also go all the way round to turn left sometimes You win some you lose some and no one is put in danger.

 

Agreed, If it's safe to do so. Often, the ***** cut people up as they enter, then again as they leave, simply because they're desperate to beat people already on the roundabout to the exit.

 

If they filter in safely I don't see the problem - they after all are not breaking the law. How about this, they go down the right hand lane and do a complete lap of the roundabout. The cars in the left lane now have to give way to the car already on the roundabout (and doing a complete lap) and THEN it can turn left (and still has to "merge" in with the traffic going *proper* straight on) which ultimately was straight on.

I've never done this before but thanks for helping me figure out that's what I'll do in future in this case (if I'm not just using the correct other lane for going straight on anyway ) (or I'm not doing this to turn left....)

You can't liken it to barging into a Queue by the way because it isn't a Queue. There are two lanes, with or without Queues and it is legal to use both to go straight on, and once on the roundabout, there is no Queue, just people going different directions and having to change lanes for their desired exit. It's like on the motorway where people think you should form an orderly Queue some miles before one lane closes. If people weren't so short sighted and stubborn, people could "zip merge" like they do on the continent and everybody would get where they are going faster....

Matt

 

The main common reason there is a close comming together on roundabouts is that most people don't seem to understand the rules of the roundabout, and the fact that on most there are "lanes" - i.e. an inside and an outside (and often more). Many people enter the roundabout on the inside lane, wander across to somewhere between the two and then back to the inside as they exit the roundabout. This is obviously the way to take the roundabout when it is empty but not when there are cars in both lanes!!!

Matt.

 

Last time someone tried to block me on a roundabout (when we both had the right to go straight on as has already been explained above)we had a nice little accident. I was in my company car and the road avenger was in his pride and joy an RX7. Who do you think gave a toss about the accident? It wasn't me, I just rang fleet management and got another one delivered to my destination, no insurance costs, nothing. Tosspot looked like he didn't know whether to punch me or cry- I wish he'd gone for the violent option so I could have used reasonable force to hospitalise him.
I hate the Q-ing mentality of people in the UK, it's part of the reason life is so cr*p there, just let people get on with it. It won't cost you any time and might avoid getting your car smashed up by someone who doesn't give a toss about theirs.

 

Live and let live guys, it's not worth getting on your high horse about. Is it really going to make any difference to your life just to let the guy in? Why wind yourself up and potentially create a road rage incident?

 

Matt,

I'm with you on this one... I've lost count of the number of times I've been "cut up", whilst in the right hand lane on the roundabout, by someone who started in left hand lane and then takes the shortest possible route across the roundabout i.e. from left into right and then back.

If, having been forced to take evasive action, you have the audacity to give a "polite" beep to let them know you are there, they then look at you as if you're in the wrong!

Tentenths

NB Isn't strange how you develop a 6th sense as to which drivers are likely to do this?

 

That is so true with people in the UK - queuing because the queue is there and not using any initative.

 

Well as far as I am concerned if there are two lanes they can bith be used to go straight on. Not only that but if they were both used by people going straight on then there would be no queue in the first place!

I am sure it is quicker to merge in turn at the exit of the roundabout, than stop and cross the roundabout individually.

And yes getting across lanes at roundabouts is stpuid and dangerous. Mind you on an advanced course the instuctor told me off for not cutting acoss the lanes at an empty roundabout.

However my theory is that if I always stay in my lane on a roundabout I'll never miss seeing someone in my blind spot when I cross the lane!