Help with Roundabouts

If you are entering, in the left lane, the vehicle on the right will shield you from the potential crash, so you can pull out safely when they do, rather than waiting for them to clear your view...

Focus only on the traffic coming from the right 

Exactly.  Not alone with this one at all.  My "sixth sense" does improve over time but then I've been driving since 1987 and still find it scary at times.  Those times tend to be busier times close to town centres though so I've taken the decision to simply avoid them.  Although I know that avoidance isn't generally recommended, I'd struggled for so long that in the end I just accepted that, if I'm going to continue driving, this is one of the limitations I have.  My thoughts are that it's better to be aware of my limitations and work around them than to keep struggling.

I've noticed as well that people don't seem to slow down as much as they approach roundabouts any more and I'm not sure why that is.  Their apparent confidence seems to push me further into anxiety and I wonder whether that is something that reflects a more general dynamic between me and others and whether this is something to do with being in a neurominority.  I do seem to have an ingrained habit of deferring to others as if they're bound to be doing the right thing (with the feeling that I'll get blamed if I don't) and I often need to do a bit of cognitive therapy on myself to bring my automatic thoughts into the open and challenge them.  The apparently super-confident others aren't always in the right, after all.

I also find that I need the highway code to be a bit clearer as it tends to show very simplified diagrams of situations and I always look at them and think, "Yes, but what if...?"   And quite often those "What ifs" relate to roundabouts or joining motorways, especially if it's not instantly clear to me who has right of way.  e.g. It may be that there are two lanes leading into a roundabout, but only one on the other side, which, although I think I have right of way as I'm in the first lane, becomes confusing if another driver cuts in front of me because they're just that bit faster.   Or if I'm sort of "flying in close formation" alongside another vehicle on a two laned approach to a motorway and gauging where I'll fit with the traffic already on the motorway.  To my mind this often becomes a kind of power struggle in which others forge ahead and I'm left braking and waiting.  Perhaps there's also a tendency to overthink things, which can work well in analytical work but which hinders me in driving situations?              

That's the bit that always astonishes me: people just sailing through without a second's hestiation, like they can see round corners. They always seem to survive too! I have to slow to a stop every time, then check right very thoroughly.

Roundabouts fried my brain, at first, but I got better with practice. 

The secret is to know who's approaching you on the right. 

When I learnt to drive my instructor told me I took too long making decisions. I failed the first time due to being hesitant. When I passed there was only one small roundabout in my home town and the same where the test centre was. I remember the first time I went on a motorway roundabout the concentration needed caused a challenge. I find multiple lanes challenging. I learnt to drive in a fairly rural County. Where I live now driving is a lot more challenging especially as many people don't slow down much on approaching roundabouts and drive fairly erratically. I can sympathise with your difficulty and have stopped driving for the moment.

As you will see, no advice but do understand the difficulty.

I've been driving 21 years and large roundabouts to this day still terrify me. I'm forever astonished at the people who just sail through them at 30 miles an hour with some kind of sixth sense that all will be well. I have to stop and check thoroughly, every single time. I can feel the fury of those behind, who presumably have that sixth sense I just mentioned. Most seem to have it, I don't. Anyway, not helpful that is it, other than to hopefully reassure that you are not alone. 

I found a lot of driving quite difficult and multi-lane roundabouts were absolutely one and were the instances where I was probably a bit of a danger while being instructed. 

The solution ended up being going on the multi lane roundabouts either when there were roadworks so things were going at a crawl or very early in the morning when there was barely anyone out. It allowed me to practice the formula for which lane I needed to be in which I then progressed to keep an eye on cars at the same time. This helped a lot with the roundabouts I was practicing for my tests, I still struggle quite a lot on unfamiliar roundabouts but as others have suggested, looking up areal shots and the roundabouts layout before hand helps a lot. The only other issue is when I get a diversion, but I'm usually sufficiently put out by the change of plan that the roundabout is the least of my problems.

I will say though, my favourite roundabout in my area is on a ring road near my test centre. If you're going straight on, there is a slip road you can take to completely bypass the roundabout. So yeah, the best roundabout is the one I can avoid. 

Hope you find a way to sort this out or get to a point where you're comfortable, good luck!

Practice is what you need. Start with smaller easier roundabouts. I used to be terrible at the larger ones even after passing the test, but if you do it enough it becomes second nature.

Hi, new member here, diagnosed this week... and my lifelong job of 30+years has been amongst other things to try to make roundabouts work more efficiently! Some of my key roles in traffic engineering are to try not to ask too much of drivers using the road network, to try and make junctions as intuitive as they can be and to try not to overload drivers with signs and other often confusing or unhelpful information!

Simple one- or two-lane roundabouts should be fairly elementary in principle if you follow the rules and guidance of the highway code. It should be quite straightforward to decide in good time which approach lane you should enter in and provided you follow a similar line around the roundabout itself, you should get out unscathed.

To allay some of your fears though, it would be well worth asking your instructor to focus some of your lesson time travelling through roundabouts that commonly form part of test routes, (a) to fully familiarise yourself with the layout, (b) to try and acclimatise with yours and other drivers' speeds so that you can judge your approach speed and merge safely into the circulatory flow without necessarily having to come to a complete stop, and (c) to identify other drivers' bad habits which might spook you from time to time.

Larger roundabouts with spiral lane markings should be just as strightforward if (big, BIG IF!) they're designed properly! Again, as Katy says, if you choose the correct entry lane and religiously follow it throughout the junction, you should end up exactly where you intend to!  One massive problem is that the bigger the roundabout is, the more counter-intuitive some of the movements begin to appear. There's one near me where you have to keep to the left pretty much all the way around the roundabout to turn right - try not to let that phase you if that is the instruction the various signs and markings have given you - the lane should take you where you want to go.

Maybe get an aerial view printout of the roundabout complete with all the road markings etc off Google maps, get some coloured marker pens and trace every directional movement from each approach. You might just get a clearer idea of exactly what positioning you should take ag any given point - it might also identify any deficiencies in the road marking design which could catch you or any other driver out.

A lot of it is practice but you should jump at any opportunity to have an off-peak lesson just to build your confidence.

Other than that, just try and keep your wits about you. Roundabouts seem to bring out the worst in lots of drivers when it comes to failing to follow signs, cutting corners, late movements... but so long as you follow the correct procedure, you should be OK!

Good luck! 

One thing that has helped me with anxiety about driving is to remember that the other cars have drivers in them too, and none of them want to crash. You don't have to be responsible for every car on the road, just take a reasonable amount of care with your own.

For roundabouts specifically, could your instructor sit you down with some diagrams and explain exactly which cars you need to worry about in different situations, bearing in mind where your going and what lane you're in? 

Also the easiest thing (imo) is being I  the left lane and going off at the first exit. Could you plan some routes where you do lots of that so you get used to physically getting on to the roundabout, and then work up to second exit, third exit, etc, where there's more to look at / be aware of each time?

Finally, on really big multi lane roundabouts, once you're in your lane all you have to do is follow it. Keep the white line to your left on your left and it will get you where you need to go. Keep an eye out for anyone cutting in front of you, don't drive up anyone's rear end, and you're good!

Don’t worry about who’s behind you for starters.

Secondly, just do it. The more overthinking you do, the worse it will be. I struggled for a long time,  but with consistently, and practice, it got easier.

Some people don’t know how to navigate a roundabout, or don’t bother to indicate, so I’m always kept on my toes. After all, driving is all about being aware of your surroundings and others in their vehicles.

Hi Alisha, 

I don't have any concrete tips - for me it was all about practice- I struggled a lot to learn to drive and I found roundabouts very hard too. I was lucky that I could practice with my mum eventually, who knew me very well and knew how to push me enough to get me out of my comfort zone, but not too much to make me completely want to give up driving.

I think practice is what really helps- especially if you practice with someone that you feel comfortable with. Can you spend few sessions where you deliberately seek out roundabouts? Also it's ok to be cautious. It's always better to wait longer than necessary and be overly cautious than to have a crash in the roundabout. And with practice and the right encouragement (ie having someone with you that can help point out to you when it is safe to enter roundabout so you get a better feeling for it), I think you will get more and more confident. 

I had real doubts that I would learn to drive and people were telling my Mum when I was growing up that they thought I would never learn- but thanks to my Mum who helped me practice, I did learn to drive and I even passed my test on the first attempt! 

Good luck, I'm sure you will get the hang of it with practice. 

I had to do 3 or 4 times my final driving exam, because there were way too many people in my car. And I don't like to be judged!

Roundabouts are quite simple - mainly you have to look to the side from which cars are coming and if you have a space to squeeze into. If the issue is processing(because you are learning), start from roundabouts with little traffic - eventually you will figure on your own routine for more bussier roundabouts.

Ask your driver instructor to have roads and roundabouts with less traffic.

I can only suggest focusing on the cars to your right but occasionally checking around you to see if anyone is trying to merge into your lane or something. 

Take your time, perhaps study the roundabout layout on Google maps so you are familiar with it and then only have to think about the cars at that moment not what lane you need. 

Whilst I like the idea of facing your fear by facing it head on, I do have to say its a bit irresponsible to go out of your way to cause a Collision 

have a car crash on a roundabout. I did. It was the other cars fault. I was a lot more relaxed after that. Kind of like, we've already had the worst that can happen so its no big deal.

Seriously though just keep practicing.