With new legislation for roundabouts, do you signal when leaving them?

Allowing jaywalking and eliminating the free right turn at certain intersections are all subjects being debated in this legislative session. Now you can add new requirements at roundabouts to the mix.

Let me start by asking you a question. Do you signal when you are about to exit a roundabout?

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This new bill in Olympia would require that you use your turn signal for at least 100 feet before making your exit. Considering that a lot of Washington drivers still can’t figure out how to use a roundabout, I’m not sure a new regulation will help anything or be used.

Scott Jensen is a driving instructor in Olympia, who testified in favor of this bill, and he said it will make roundabouts safer.

“When we use our signals when exiting roundabouts, it communicates to other drivers our intentions, and it allows drivers to enter the roundabout and continue through the roundabout at a more rapid pace, as they were designed,” he said.

I’m for anything that will make our roads safer, but I’m not sure requiring a turn signal for 100 feet before exiting can even happen. Is there even 100 feet between exits? I drove the new roundabout at Bickford Road in Snohomish over the weekend. There’s certainly not enough room there.

State Representative Ed Orcutt raised this issue during the hearing.

“There are many roundabouts where the turns are within 100 feet of each other,” he said. “Would it be after you pass a turn prior to the next one where you would start to signal?” he asked.

The penalty for failing to use your signal when exiting would be $139.

Driving instructor Greg Sypnicki also testified in favor of the bill. “This isn’t about making driving more difficult or about so much enforcing it,” he said. “It’s about educating people. It’s about establishing a standard for leaving roundabouts.”

And that’s a good thing. I believe that everyone should use their signals when exiting a roundabout. I’m not sure we need a new law, especially one that comes with a fine.

What we need is better education on how to use roundabouts and better driver behavior.

So let’s go over the basics again.

Cars already in the roundabout always have the right of way. You must yield to those vehicles before entering the roundabout. Do not stop in the roundabout, even to let someone in. That’s not how they work.

Single-lane roundabouts shouldn’t be too difficult to navigate with those simple rules.

Double-lane roundabouts have some challenges. You must enter the roundabout in the lane that you need to use to exit. You need to pay attention to the signs and lane markings, so you know which lane to use.

You should never change lanes in the middle of a multi-lane roundabout.

And while not in the driver’s manual, I would also recommend giving trucks a wide berth in a double roundabout. Most semis will take up more than one lane while going through. Letting a semi go solo might be the safest move. This is a huge problem at the new roundabout at Wapato Way in Tacoma, with the volume of trucks coming through the port.

Check out more of Chris’ Chokepoints.

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