[21twelve]

Here in Seattle I’m pretty polite. I follow the rules of the road, stay in the fast lane to pass people, move over if somebody is going faster, let folks merge, etc. I try to get my kids to view driving as a “dance” - especially merging like this gal is so worried about.

But I lived for ten years in NJ, and my kids were awestruck by my entirely different driving style in NJ and D.C. while there on vacation last summer. Yes - you need to be pretty aggressive and fearless. After my first few bewildered encounters with traffic circles I asked a cop about who had the right-of-way on them (they had no signs 30 years ago, not sure if they do now or not - I can’t recall from our trip).

The cop said “whoever is there first”.
“Oh - you mean whoever is in the circle has the right-of-way?”
“No - there are no rules - if you can go you go, if you can’t go - don’t.”

I’m not sure if that was an official statement - but it sure was true, and served everybody well.

[Fresh Wind]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAgX6qlJEMc

[rlmorel]

I have never understood why so many people dislike rotaries (some call them roundabouts or circles)

It isn’t hard: Cars entering the rotary yield to cars in the rotary. That’s it. They can be efficient, and even fun.

In a rotary navigated by people who know how to do it, traffic can usually flow well. Big, double lane rotaries can be quite difficult under heavy traffic loads, because in addition to knowing to yield to vehicles in the rotary, you also have to recognize how to approach your exit out of the rotary. If you are on the inside and don’t properly plan your transition to the outside (to exit the rotary) it can become a hot mess.

[Kay Ludlow]

I too, describe it as a dance. I traveled on the roads a lot for my job. My husband retired years before I did, mostly just staying home to work on things. He became remarkably timid on the roads, unlike ME. When I became ill and he had to drive me to treatment during morning rush hour, he kept messing up the traffic flow , then raging at what other people were doing. I described how the dance works a number of times, then I just started saying, as we approached the difficult areas, “It's time to start dancing!”, and it didn't take him long to see it that way. No more rage!