The stupidity of drivers never ceases to amaze me

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,526
3,669
126
On my commute there are two round-a-bouts within less than 1 mile of eachother. There must be a Bermuda Triangle of retard above the southern one because on a daily basis I see cars drive the first one correctly but then come to complete stops in the middle of the second one or stop completely before entering even though there is no one in the round-a-bout.

WTH people - just apply the same goddamn principles you used 30 seconds ago to a virtually identical scenario!
 

SamQuint

Golden Member
Dec 6, 2010
1,155
45
91
Round abouts would be great if it weren't for the drivers. Way too many people can't seem to figure these out.

And would it really hurt people to use a turn signal when using them?
 

Krazy4Real

Lifer
Oct 3, 2003
12,221
55
91
round-a-bouts are so awesome, but are so rare in the US that most people don't know how to handle them correctly.
 

dpodblood

Diamond Member
May 20, 2010
4,020
1
81
The amount of time's I've been nearly hit in roundabouts by idiots who change lanes constantly or enter when it's unsafe...
 

ControlD

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2005
5,440
44
91
Roundabouts would be great if every city didn't have different rules for them. Every new one I come upon makes my nut sack tighten up a little.
 

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
The amount of time's I've been nearly hit in roundabouts by idiots who change lanes constantly or enter when it's unsafe...

I read something recently that said safety is one of the main reasons for a roundabout... they are more efficient than a stop sign, and because of the angles and everyone slowing down, there are fewer accidents and what accidents that do happen aren't as bad as when compared to something like someone blowing a stop sign and t-boning someone.
 

darkewaffle

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2005
8,152
1
81
Never driven through one. Not sure I've ever even seen one. It'd probably give me pause if I ever do though.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
People are hesitant because they are scared to pull out in front of someone, which is what is required in busy roundabouts.
It will get better in about 20 years.
 
Nov 29, 2006
15,738
4,272
136
I hate roundabouts. So dangerous here. They design them stupidly at times also. There is one near work with 2 lanes going around it with 4 exits. Either lane can exit at any exit or go straight according to the signs and markings. So what if you have someone on the inside lane that wants to exit and someone out the outside lane wanting to continue on around. Accident waiting to happen. 4 way stops are much more convinient and safe from what ive seen around here.
 

MongGrel

Lifer
Dec 3, 2013
38,466
3,067
121
The one on Clearwater Beach always messes with tourists heads, as most aren't used to them.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,344
6,169
126
yeah it baffles the shit out of me how terrible people are at driving. i say that to myself at least 3-4 times a day, if not more.

people slamming on brakes for no reason
people not using turn signals
people swerving all over because they are on their phone
people constantly getting passed while they are in the left lane going 10mph slower than traffic
people who are going 10mph slower than the flow of traffic and you go to pass them then they speed up

i could go on and on and on. just a buncha retards on the road. i'm in the dc metro area and we're just a melting pot of bad drivers from all over the country.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,344
6,169
126
I hate roundabouts. So dangerous here. They design them stupidly at times also. There is one near work with 2 lanes going around it with 4 exits. Either lane can exit at any exit or go straight according to the signs and markings. So what if you have someone on the inside lane that wants to exit and someone out the outside lane wanting to continue on around. Accident waiting to happen. 4 way stops are much more convinient and safe from what ive seen around here.

this just sounds wrong. i've never seen a roundabout where both lanes can exit OR go straight through. if the outer lane can exit AND go around the circle, then the inner lane can only go around. and if the inner lane can exit AND go around, then the outer lane can only exit.

pics of said roundabout on google maps?

i was in aruba last month and they have a ton of roundabouts and they are so easy to maneuver around. when i was in turks and caicos, they literally only have 2 traffic lights on the entire island. the rest of the "major" intersections are all roundabouts. granted, the traffic on that island is way less than anything around here, but it's still awesome.
 
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cbrunny

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 2007
6,791
406
126
I hate roundabouts. So dangerous here. They design them stupidly at times also. There is one near work with 2 lanes going around it with 4 exits. Either lane can exit at any exit or go straight according to the signs and markings. So what if you have someone on the inside lane that wants to exit and someone out the outside lane wanting to continue on around. Accident waiting to happen. 4 way stops are much more convinient and safe from what ive seen around here.

That scenario should never happen if people know how to use roundabouts.

Here we have quite a few two lane roundabouts. The right lane takes either the first or second exit. The left lane takes either the second or third exit. So even if you enter the left lane next to someone entering the right, you know that he can't get to the third exit, so your second exit exit is safe. You know that by getting in to the left lane you will not be getting off on the first exit so his second exit is also safe. Regardless of this though, roundabouts are meant to be staggered between the two lanes for safety. That's just good driving.
 

cubby1223

Lifer
May 24, 2004
13,518
42
86
People are hesitant because they are scared to pull out in front of someone, which is what is required in busy roundabouts.
It will get better in about 20 years.

Absolutely. I recently was driving around Europe for the first time, where roundabouts are the norm. Thanks to a forest fire spreading onto the main highway, the full congestion of the autostrada was diverted onto tight, narrow, Italian village roads.

I got to experience up close, when it's your turn to enter the roundabout (there are no alternate paths around, the only alternate is closed due to a fire), if you wait for a safe spot to enter you will be sitting there for at least 2 hours, holding up all traffic behind you. The only option is to pick a spot that looks possibly okay, hit the gas pedal, and pray the other person slams on their brakes. Then once you survive that, prepare to immediately slam on your brakes as another vehicle is cutting in ahead of you on the next entrance to the roundabout.

The whole concept of the roundabout was conceived by a mad-man as an attempt at population control. Or so I am to believe as that's what the evidence best suggests.
 

Argo

Lifer
Apr 8, 2000
10,045
0
0
When I was in Dubai, the thing that confused the heck out of me was roundabouts with traffic lights in them. There was a light to enter it, and a light inside to avoid hitting cars who were given green light to enter.
 

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,575
126
Roundabouts are okay as long as traffic flow doesn't overwhelm them. I have no problems with them.

When traffic gets really heavy, I hate roundabouts.

If you watch Youtube videos, you can see that a number of folks seem to think that a circle means that you can go around it in either direction...
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,541
5,585
146
They work OK if people are not just flying into them. I got caught by a guy who was at mach 3 from the next street to my left. We both stopped. I was towing a 10,000 pound 5th wheel trailer and working the inside circle to continue through.
 
Nov 8, 2012
20,842
4,785
146
round-a-bouts are so awesome, but are so rare in the US that most people don't know how to handle them correctly.

This.

However, I UNDERSTAND to a certain degree why some americans have a hard time with them. Americans are deliberate assholes and seem to WANT to make conflict with other drivers. So when people need to merge, instead of allowing them in they will go ABOVE AND BEYOND to block them. If people just went with the flow (and occasionally take their foot off the gas to allow merges) things would be a lot smoother.

Most americans are too stupid to understand the concept of... you DONT have to always be pushing a pedal. You can Gas. You can brake. You can also... STOP PUSHING BOTH, DERP. Breaking creates a stream of people breaking in general daily traffic. You COULD take your foot off the gas instead and things would go much smoother - but people are too stupid to understand that.
 

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
I hate roundabouts. So dangerous here. They design them stupidly at times also. There is one near work with 2 lanes going around it with 4 exits. Either lane can exit at any exit or go straight according to the signs and markings. So what if you have someone on the inside lane that wants to exit and someone out the outside lane wanting to continue on around. Accident waiting to happen. 4 way stops are much more convinient and safe from what ive seen around here.

We have these too and I have NEVER personally seen an accident or the aftermath of an accident at one. In fact, I feel like the very nature of them imposes some manner of safety and self-control. At minimum the retards on the road freak out and do nothing which is sometimes better than what they usually do which is just not give a shit.
 

SKORPI0

Lifer
Jan 18, 2000
18,463
2,396
136
Not a lot of those in the USA...
http://www.roundaboutsusa.com/photos.html

Each year, cities receive numerous requests to reduce the traffic congestion on their streets. Citizens also express concerns about the safety of the streets on which they live.
In an effort to find appropriate ways to deal with these concerns, reduce traffic congestion and improve safety, many cities have begun considering the use of "roundabouts."

Roundabouts are used extensively throughout Europe, and in many other places around the world, to reduce accidents, traffic delays, fuel consumption, air pollution and construction costs,
while increasing capacity and enhancing intersection beauty. They have been successfully used to control traffic speeds in residential neighborhoods and are accepted as one of the safest types of intersection design.
 
Nov 29, 2006
15,738
4,272
136
this just sounds wrong. i've never seen a roundabout where both lanes can exit OR go straight through. if the outer lane can exit AND go around the circle, then the inner lane can only go around. and if the inner lane can exit AND go around, then the outer lane can only exit.

pics of said roundabout on google maps?

i was in aruba last month and they have a ton of roundabouts and they are so easy to maneuver around. when i was in turks and caicos, they literally only have 2 traffic lights on the entire island. the rest of the "major" intersections are all roundabouts. granted, the traffic on that island is way less than anything around here, but it's still awesome.

I just looked at google maps and i was wrong as far as signage goes. But they are quite a ways back from the actual circle so easily missed. But i have seen people do it where inside wants out and outer wants to continue on. Its not very well marked. Either way i dont like them. The old 4 way was much easier.