Conquering Roundabouts in Roseville, California
Roundabouts can be a source of confusion, intimidation, or stress for many drivers, especially if you have little-to-no experience navigating them. Your experience with roundabouts can fluctuate depending on your age, where you live, and how often you travel. There are roundabouts in Roseville, and they must be navigated with both caution and confidence. They exist for good reasons and can have many traffic flow-related benefits that you may not have even noticed up until now.
A roundabout is a traffic intersection centralized around a circular island, where traffic flows in a counterclockwise direction. Cars that are exiting or entering a roundabout must yield to oncoming motorists, bicyclists, or pedestrians. In comparison to traffic signals, some of the advantages that roundabouts have can include:
- Offers a strong traffic calming strategy, leading to lower speeds
- Requires minimal maintenance, offers long service life, and has low annual operational costs
- Proves to be more environmentally friendly through less engine idling and therefore less greenhouse gas emissions
- Gives refuge to crossing pedestrians with a median island that splits up each individual direction of traffic
- Creates future opportunities for community landscaping
- Saves money by having no power bill or equipment that needs to be installed
Do Roundabouts Really Improve Safety?
Yes, research has proven over time that roundabouts are good for congested locations. The Federal Highway Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed these stats on cities where a roundabout had replaced a stop sign or traffic signal intersection:
- Rate of accidents reduced by over 35 percent
- Rate of accidents involving injury reduced by over 76 percent
- Rate of accidents involving fatalities reduced by over 90 percent
- Increased pedestrian safety through reduced traffic speeds
Roundabouts are designed to improve intersection safety and efficiency for all motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. The keys to successful roundabout navigation are simple, such as:
- Slow down when approaching the intersection
- Enter when there is a big enough gap in between traffic
- Look out for any traffic signs or pavement marking that are meant to guide the flow of traffic in the roundabout
- Use turn signals to switch lanes or exit the roundabout to alert other drivers of your intentions
If you would still like more information regarding the rules of roundabouts, watch the video below.
Roseville Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury lawyer in Roseville. If you have been critically injured from a traffic accident that took place due to another driver’s negligent actions, I encourage you to call me today for my free, friendly, compassionate advice. Just pick up the phone and dial (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 if you are from outside the Sacramento metropolitan area.
I have been an injury lawyer for 38 years and during this journey, I have met and helped a substantial number of Roseville families with their injury and wrongful death claims. I have worked on many different types of injury claims, such as truck accidents, bicycle accidents, and even dog bite injuries.
I am a longtime member of the Top One Percent and the Million Dollar Forum.
To find my firm’s relevant information related to case outcomes and client feedback, just review the links below:
Image: By “Tom Fisk” – Pexels.
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