How Does a Traffic Circle Work?

Entering

When a driver approaches the traffic circle, he or she is supposed to yield to all traffic that is already in the circle. This means the driver must look left before entering and wait for a break in traffic. If the traffic circle has more than one lane, the right lane is reserved for immediately entering and exiting cars only. That way, it's easier for people who are entering to merge in.

Driving

Once in the traffic circle, the driver does not need to slow down when he or she passes each turnoff. This will only impede the traffic in the circle. Instead, he or she should maintain a constant speed until nearing the desired exit point.

Exiting

Upon reaching the street where he or she wishes to exit, a driver should signal and get over to the right lane if need be. Without slowing down, simply drive out of the circle. If the person accidentally misses the street, he or she must drive around the entire circle a second time since it is always one-way traffic. As a courtesy to other drivers, individuals should not signal until right before they plan to exit, since most circles feature three or four turnoffs and it can quickly lead to confusion.

Finding Your Way

One of the hardest things to understand about traffic circles is how to find the place where you need to exit. If you're just trying to go straight, you cannot bypass the circle. Instead, you need to drive exactly halfway around the circle and exit at the continuation of the road you started on. Think of the traffic circle as a clock. If you come in at 6:00 and you want to stay on the same road, you need to exit at 12:00. If you're looking to exit onto a different road, read the signs carefully. There should be one posted by each exit point.