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0 pointsxattt2y ago0 comments

I live in a Canadian province that has enthusiastically embraced roundabouts, so I’ve been able to get used to them for years. Their efficiency is very dependent on drivers being able to anticipate the actions of others.

These are things like watching the angle of the front wheels, the speed at which other cars are taking the intersection (faster = going straight through; slower = taking the turn), but also how much time it takes for a stopped car to start moving so you can judge whether you have time to enter the intersection.

This is a learned skill, and not everyone in the general population has the cognitive capacity to reliably pick up on these cues.

I’m not saying that I’m Nigel Mansell, but I genuinely think that the inability to pick up on these cues is why many are terrified and opposed to them.

0 pointsxattt2y ago0 comments

This is a learned skill, and not everyone in the general population has the cognitive capacity to reliably pick up on these cues.

I’m not saying that I’m Nigel Mansell, but I genuinely think that the inability to pick up on these cues is why many are terrified and opposed to them.

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4 comments · 2 top-level

PaulDavisThe1st2y ago· 2 in thread

Given that countries like the UK use roundabouts incredibly extensively, and they have never been shown to be a cause of increased accident rates, I suspect that your suspicion about this is probably wrong.

xatttOP2y ago

It depends on the country. Familiarity with roundabouts would be a necessity in the UK. In parts of the world where roundabouts are only recent, there are many drivers who are too old to “learn new tricks”.

I’ve got older family members that have self-excluded from driving to the provincial capital because the roundabouts are overwhelming.

PaulDavisThe1st2y ago

I have older friends who self-exclude from driving at night. That doesn't make me conclude that night-time driving is inherently a problem (even though it is, based on statistics, more dangerous than driving around a roundabout).

toast02y ago

It's asking for a lot of detailed attention in a lot of different places.

With right hand driving, I need to look left to consider if that traffic will be exiting or continuing. I need to look right to consider if that traffic has slowed and I need to slow. I also need to look hard left and hard right for pedestrians, who likely want to cross near the intersection (where it's most convenient) regardless of where traffic engineers are encouraging them to cross. Oh, and I better keep an eye on my mirrors, because I may need to take evasive action if the guy behind me isn't looking and I need to stop for traffic.

It's pretty hard to look at five different places at once.

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