Right of way
Entering a single lane roundabout
You are approaching a roundabout and car B is already going round it. What should you do?
You are approaching a roundabout and car B is already going round it. What should you do?
Roundabout entry: the rule
The rule
At a roundabout entry with a yield sign, entering traffic yields to vehicles already circulating and enters only when there is a safe gap.
The reasoning
Roundabouts work because entering drivers yield and everyone keeps moving. You do not need a complete stop if the way is clear, only a genuine yield, and you never need to wait for it to be empty.
The usual mistake
Stopping dead at a clear roundabout, or entering clockwise. Both come from treating it like a four way stop rather than a merge into moving traffic.
What the state codes require
California
A driver facing a yield sign yields to vehicles already in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard. At a roundabout entry, that means the traffic already circulating.
Practice the California test