Roundabout driving — Rhode Island Permit Test

Traffic in a roundabout moves counterclockwise around a center island.

One car going the wrong way around the circle meets every other car head-on.

Roundabouts are intersections that direct traffic in a counterclockwise direction around a center island.

A roundabout has no stop signs or traffic signals; it uses yield signs, directional signs and pavement markings.

A driver who waits for a light that is not there blocks the entry for everyone behind.

This type of traffic control does not have stop signs or traffic signals; instead, it utilizes yield signs, directional signs, and pavement markings to guide traffic through the intersection.

The purpose of a roundabout is to slow traffic while reducing delays.

A driver who treats the circle like a race track defeats the reason it was built.

The purpose of this circular intersection is to slow traffic while reducing delays in traffic movement.

In a roundabout, never stop unless there is an emergency; keep going until you reach your street.

A car that stops in the circle gets hit by the car behind, which is watching for a gap, not a stop.

PROCEED: Continue through the roundabout until you reach your street.

To leave a roundabout, signal, then exit to the right, yielding to pedestrians.

Without a signal, drivers waiting to enter cannot tell whether you are leaving or coming around to them.

EXIT: Signal, then exit the roundabout to the right.

Rhode Island's manual describes single-lane roundabouts, and warns that many states use multi-lane ones, so plan ahead.

A driver used to one lane can be caught in the wrong lane of a two-lane circle and miss the exit.

NOTE: The information in this manual refers to single lane roundabouts.

Which way does traffic travel in a roundabout?

Counterclockwise. One car going the wrong way around the circle meets every other car head-on. Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, p.40: “Roundabouts are intersections that direct traffic in a counterclockwise direction around a center island.”