Driving/Highway Code Question

S

Ste

Senior member
 Costa Del Barrow-in-Furness
Just a question I'm not too sure about... Is there anything wrong about driving round a roundabout twice/more times then you need etc?

For example, if theres a roundabout with two lanes, one for left/straight on and one for right. Traffic straight on is very very busy so the lane has a big queue, say you go up the right lane and go right round the roundabout (440degrees) then take the left turn intended, would that be against the highway code/frowned upon whatever?
 
Not sure Ste, don't think it is illegal or against Highway code, after all it could be easy to make an error on a roundabouts lanes if it is new to you and you are unsure of where you are going.
 
I do the same manoeuvre all the time - and have unsuccessfully searched the Highway Code for rules against it multiple times. I've even had a TrafPol do the same thing in front of me.

The only thing I see about roundabouts (excepting positioning, lane choices), is about taking care when doing 'u-turns' at mini-roundabouts as others might pull out on you.
 
Hands up... I admit I do this often on the way to work... the roundabout near Chertsey bridge if anyone knows it?

Queue is often 10 - 15 mins long with very few people in the right hand lane to turn right. I spin right around the roundabout then off left. Never push in if other drivers think I'm queue jumping (which some do - look at that knob in his Beemer thinking he owns the road probably :oops: ) but technically I'm not doing anything wrong except being a bit cheeky... I'm sure other will disgree tho :P
 
I don't recall anything in the Highway Code and it is largely a handbook of good practice.

A lot of this is about the circumstances. If it's a huge island no issue, but do the same on a min isalnd and you'd likley cause a crash as people don't expect it to happen.

In the event of an accident or being observed by the police and they took exception to it, then it would all come down to opinion of the various rules of the Road Traffic Act. Can't remember them but along the lines of Careless Driving, Undue Care and Attention, etc.
 
pvr said:
I don't go for sheep mentality either and do the same.
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Love it, such arrogance, working within the highway code = sheep, thus if everyone did it :headbang:

The high way code just states which lane you should be in to for a particular exit, when the round about has two or more lanes
 
No - joining a queue at the end = sheep when there are other ways.

I follow satnav diversions to avoid traffic jams as well and don't join the queue at the end. I don't take the longest queue at the airport just because everyone else does that. In general, I don't do the "sheep" method.
 
I do it here in Germany. Esp. when in an unfamiliar area and the ol' gal in my Garmin barks out her commands to late and I miss the exit I needed.

Tis far better to go around than do what they do in LA when one of the clueless motoring masses out there misses a motorway exit. (say that sentence 3 times quickly :) ) They slam on the brakes and reverse. :telloff:
 
I did it once by accident as I wasn't paying attention and ended up in the wrong lane. It made me feel quite cheeky!
 
bigdog said:
I do it here in Germany. Esp. when in an unfamiliar area and the ol' gal in my Garmin barks out her commands to late and I miss the exit I needed.

Tis far better to go around than do what they do in LA when one of the clueless motoring masses out there misses a motorway exit. (say that sentence 3 times quickly :) ) They slam on the brakes and reverse. :telloff:
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Now who is going in reverse on a roundabout :o ? What nutters :rofl: If I miss an exit I'll do the extra round too.
 
JVE89 said:
bigdog said:
I do it here in Germany. Esp. when in an unfamiliar area and the ol' gal in my Garmin barks out her commands to late and I miss the exit I needed.

Tis far better to go around than do what they do in LA when one of the clueless motoring masses out there misses a motorway exit. (say that sentence 3 times quickly :) ) They slam on the brakes and reverse. :telloff:
Click to expand...

Now who is going in reverse on a roundabout :o ? What nutters :rofl: If I miss an exit I'll do the extra round too.
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:rofl: Too funny! I assume LA is Los Angeles USA, not Louisiana or some other place. I used to live there many years ago. There's not a single roundabout to be found within 200 miles of there. If you miss your exit, you're screwed, could take 30 minutes to get around and back on course. Thus the desperate reversing manoeuvre. They really do this, I've seen it several times! To be fair, it is a rare occurrence, the locals are gob smacked when it happens as well.
 
Oh dear. No wonder most other road users think BMW drivers are tw@ts.

I've done it before. :evil:
 
bcworkz said:
JVE89 said:
bigdog said:
I do it here in Germany. Esp. when in an unfamiliar area and the ol' gal in my Garmin barks out her commands to late and I miss the exit I needed.

Tis far better to go around than do what they do in LA when one of the clueless motoring masses out there misses a motorway exit. (say that sentence 3 times quickly :) ) They slam on the brakes and reverse. :telloff:
Click to expand...

Now who is going in reverse on a roundabout :o ? What nutters :rofl: If I miss an exit I'll do the extra round too.
Click to expand...
:rofl: Too funny! I assume LA is Los Angeles USA, not Louisiana or some other place. I used to live there many years ago. There's not a single roundabout to be found within 200 miles of there. If you miss your exit, you're screwed, could take 30 minutes to get around and back on course. Thus the desperate reversing manoeuvre. They really do this, I've seen it several times! To be fair, it is a rare occurrence, the locals are gob smacked when it happens as well.
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Yup! Los Angeles is what I was referring to.
Before coming to Germany we lived in Walla Walla Wa. (still own a home there) and in a town nearby called Kennewick they do have roundabouts. You ought to see some of the :scratchhead: that goes on when ole farmer Joe comes in from the outback and pulls up to one of those.
 
GreyZed said:
Oh dear. No wonder most other road users think BMW drivers are tw@ts.

I've done it before. :evil:
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I think it depends on if the queue is to go straight on and you do it just to bypass that and get onto the otherwise clear left road (or visa versa), or if the queue is all going left and you just do it to "push in"... :D
 
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