Georgia’s Roundabout Laws
Traffic roundabouts seem to bring confusion anytime a new one shows up on the roadways. While roundabouts are fairly common on European roadways, they have not been heavily used on American roadways throughout our history. However, these traffic structures are growing in popularity, and they work to reduce car accidents and vehicle emissions. As roundabouts become more and more common, it is crucial that Georgia motorists understand the laws surrounding these traffic structures. Understandably, encountering the roundabout for the first time can be a little confusing, so we want to take some time to clear up some roundabout laws.
Successfully navigating a traffic circle in Georgia
If you know that you are coming up to a roundabout, do not panic. If you have never navigated this type of traffic structure, you need to slow down and pay attention to your surroundings.
- Continue towards the roundabout and begin to look to your left as you near the yield sign and the dashed yield line at the beginning of the roundabout. If there is any traffic coming at you from the left inside of the roundabout, you must yield to this traffic. Yes, this may mean that you have to stop completely before entering the roundabout.
- If there are no vehicles coming from the left, or if you see a gap in the traffic, you can enter the circled roundabout and proceed towards your exit. Typically, there are multiple exits to a single roundabout. The good thing about a roundabout is that, should you miss your exit, you can simply circle all the way around again.
- Watch out for pedestrians and use your turn signal before you exit the roundabout. Be sure to stay in your lane as you navigate through the traffic device.
- There is a difference between single-lane roundabouts and double-lane roundabouts. Some roundabouts have two lanes inside of them, which could increase the confusion of a person who has not used this type of traffic device before.
- When you are inside of the roundabout, you have the right of way. This means that other vehicles that want to come into the roundabout should yield to you as you circle around. However, you need to be wary of these vehicles anyway. If someone is approaching who has never used a roundabout before, they may end up not yielding to you at all.
What if you get into an accident in a roundabout?
Roundabouts are statistically proven to help reduce vehicle accidents. However, that does not mean that roundabouts are completely accident-free. If you get involved in an accident in a roundabout, move your vehicle to a safe location if you can do so, preferably just outside of the roundabout and in a median or parking lot. If there are any disabled vehicles, you will have to leave the vehicles where they are with the hazard lights on. Call 911 to report the incident and to get medical assistance if necessary.
You may need to work with a skilled Atlanta car accident lawyer to help you in these situations. If another driver caused your accident, you could be entitled to compensation for your injury expenses and other losses. An attorney can use their resources to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, help gather the evidence necessary to prove liability, and negotiate with all parties involved to obtain a fair settlement on your behalf.