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

nobody knows me, but...

[the-wanderer27.livejournal.com]

I stumbled upon this journal via a link to your name from Leah's journal. I grew up in Acton, MA, and the concord rotary was an everyday thing for me. One day, I was going around the rotary from the acton side of rte 2 to that little road just past rte 2 east. I was on the outside lane. someone decides to turn onto Rte 2 East from the inside lane WITHOUT signaling, and, inevitably, she hits me. Apparently, she thought it was my fault for being in the outside lane and not turning onto rte 2, not hers for turning from a non-turn-lane. (i dont care how many people think it IS a turn lane, its NOT). If she had been Euro-signaling, I still wouldnt have known when she was going to turn. If she had signaled for a right turn, I would have assumed she was switching lanes. I think people should treat rotaries like any other stretch of road, signal to change lanes, signal to get off, only turn from the outside lane (or marked turn lanes), and always always always PAY ATTENTION.

Jonah