Learning to drive includes learning about traffic rules. One of the many lessons you will learn in your driving school in Quakers Hill will be how to follow the traffic rules when navigating a roundabout and traffic circle. Many drivers, especially the new ones, often make mistakes when facing these two traffic diversions. Though they look the same, there are differences between roundabouts and traffic circles.
Roundabout
Roundabouts are circular intersections that make the flow of traffic smoother. There is no stop-or-go or traffic signal in a roundabout. The driver is responsible for driving, keeping in mind the distance between two vehicles, and deciding when to enter or exit the roundabout while staying in their lane. They are smaller than a traffic circle, which forces vehicles to reduce speed when driving around the intersection. Roundabouts help to manage the traffic flow smoothly, and since vehicles have to slow their speed and drivers have to use their judgment wisely, the chances of traffic accidents are much lower. One interesting fact about roundabouts is that Australia was one of the first countries to have this traffic intersection.
Traffic circles
Traffic circles are much bigger than roundabouts and also older. They are typically found in older cities and often take up huge space. There are traffic signals in a traffic circle to regulate the incoming and outgoing vehicles. Since the speed of the vehicles is often high, the chances of accidents, especially with bicycles and other slower-moving vehicles.
Difference between roundabouts and traffic circles
There are many differences between these two types of traffic intersections.
- Roundabouts are smaller in size compared to traffic circles.
- No traffic signal indicates drivers to stop and go in a roundabout. Traffic circles have them.
- The purpose of the roundabout is to slow down traffic, whereas traffic circles often allow traffic to be at high speed.
- One of the biggest differences between the two is that, in a roundabout, drivers entering this circular intersection need to yield to any vehicle that enters before them and circles the roundabout. Vehicles travel clockwise in Australia and any country that drives on the left side, whereas in the USA or any right-hand side driving nation, they circle anticlockwise.
So, this is the information you will learn from your driving school in Quakers Hill when you go to them to learn to drive.
