signaling in rotaries

[cos]

I want to start a trend.

Several years ago I heard that in some places in Europe, people signal in rotaries - err, "traffic circles", for readers outside of New England. When they're in the rotary going around, they signal pointing into the circle. When they pass the last exit before the one they want to take - IOW, when they plan to take the next exit out of the rotary - they signal out from the circle. That way, people know which cars are trying to go around and which cars are trying to get out where.

As soon as I heard it, I thought it made a lot of sense, and started doing it. I hope that if people see me, some of them might like the idea and start doing the same thing. I've been signaling in rotaries for a few years, and I have no idea if anyone else has been swayed. I don't recall seeing any other cars doing it. But maybe if they saw it happen more often, if more of us did it, it might catch on.

Anyone wanna try?

Comments

[greyhame.livejournal.com]

My understanding of the traffic laws in the US--or at least in MA--is that you're supposed to signal to exit the rotary (almost no one does), and for two-lane rotaries, to move between the inside and outside lanes, but that you don't signal while on the rotary because it's considered to be equivalent to travelling in a straight line. The rotary counts as the "road" you're currently on, and even if you're on a road that curves, you don't signal to stay on the same road. I don't think you're supposed to signal to merge into the rotary, because there's generally no other place for you to go when you're waiting at a rotary inlet.
So, I don't signal left while going around the rotary, and I do signal right when exiting the rotary, because if everyone signalled properlly to exit the rotary, signalling left to stay on it would be superfluous and silly.