A recent survey and study looked into single-lane and multi-lane roundabouts in B.C.
The study, conducted by Ipsos, revealed that 43 per cent of B.C. drivers do not feel confident navigating single-lane roundabouts and 71 per cent do not feel confident with multi-lane roundabouts.
According to ICBC, roundabouts reduce injury crashes by 75 per cent as they “reduce speed and eliminate head-on, right-angle and left-turn crashes,” and more than 90 have been built throughout B.C. in the last 23 years.
“Road design is critical to keeping everyone on our roads safe,” said Shabnem Afzal, ICBC’s director of road safety.
“Roundabouts are proven to be highly effective in reducing crashes. While common in Europe, they’re relatively newer to Canada.”
In light of the survey statistics, ICBC is offering a refresher and tips on how to handle roundabouts.
Tips for drivers for navigating roundabouts include:
- Drive slow, yield to pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles already inside the roundabout, and enter in a counter-clockwise direction
- Make sure you know where you want to go, and use blinkers much like a four-way stop
- Do not drive alongside large vehicles in multi-lane roundabouts
- Finish roundabout if emergency vehicle approaches
The study also asked respondents to rank in order what caused frustration when navigating roundabouts.
It found not yielding to vehicles that have the right of way emerged as the “most frustrating behaviour” among other drivers, followed closely by the lack of signalling when exiting a roundabout.