Navigating Roundabouts in Utah. We suck at it.
On most days when driving around Utah, I feel pretty safe. I know people love to complain about how bad the drivers are in their city, but for the most part, even with our crisscross lanes, a typical amount of distracted drivers and a similar count of idiots, we all move around in harmony. Until you get to a roundabout. I recently learned that roundabouts on a motorcycle are even more terrifying.
When it is a single lane joining a round about, we all do pretty well, except the people who have never learned to take turns. Here's a news flash for some of you. It is NOT always your turn wherever you go. Take turns, obey the Yield signs and this can work. Roundabouts are popular around the world because you don't have to stop and idle like you do at a red light. Where roundabouts seem to get scary is when there is a 2 lane road that feeds into a roundabout. Even with handy diagrams, that may be hard to read while you are texting and driving, there are instructions on how to safely share the road. As you can see, the left lane can only exit (in this example) on the 3rd option that comes up at about 9:00.
I was already scared as I witnessed people coming to a screeching halt inches from another vehicle because someone didn't follow the rules. If you've got a new driver in your family, try these examples over near Santa Clara or Ivins. Then try the elaborate roundabout near Walmart off of Brigham road. You may have noticed the dent in the Brigham road roundabout sign. It was that bad that you HIT the SIGN? Let's be careful out there. What spots scare you when driving in southern Utah?