Traffic circles — Maryland Permit Test
Traffic circles on the Maryland permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
Roads leading to a traffic circle have yield signs, and you must always yield to traffic already in the circle.
Cars already in the circle have nowhere to stop without being hit from behind.
You do not need to wait to enter a traffic circle if there is no traffic in it, but you must approach the yield line cautiously and watch for vehicles exiting.
An empty circle needs no gap, but the car about to exit still crosses your path.
In a traffic circle with more than one lane, stay in your lane; when preparing to exit, signal right and move to the outside lane after you pass the exit before the one you plan to take.
Changing lanes inside the circle crosses in front of somebody who cannot see you coming.
As you come to a traffic circle, reduce your speed, keep to the right of the island, and watch for and yield to people in the crosswalk.
Everything in a traffic circle goes one way, so there is only one side you can join it from.
On the test
Who must yield at a traffic circle?
Traffic entering the circle. Cars already in the circle have nowhere to stop without being hit from behind.
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Maryland Driver's Manual, published by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-06.