Video description:
Roundabouts - the circular intersections seen all over Europe and elsewhere in the world - are said to be far safer than traffic lights. Research shows they reduce crashes, clear up congestion and save cities quite a bit of money. They have a heritage in the U.S., but America has a fraction of the roundabouts that far smaller countries like France, Spain and the United Kingdom have. But there are some states that are adopting them, and one small town in particular: Carmel, Indiana. The people of Carmel love their roundabouts and the mayor credits them with helping revitalize his city. So are they all they’re cracked up to be? And if so, why hasn’t the U.S. adopted them?
We have several in my area and they’re becoming more popular, but people have no idea how to navigate them, even when there are signs that say what to do. People will enter the circle and then slow down and sometimes stop to let someone into the circle. Some people don’t bother checking to see if it’s clear for them to enter the circle. I’ve come close to several accidents because someone decided to enter the circle without looking. Yeah, it just takes familiarity, but these are circles to enter and exit an interstate in a residential area so the most of the people using it should be familiar by now. It’s been several years since the circles were installed.