The law clearly states that when about to enter a roundabout you must give way to vehicles already in the roundabout, anyone who drives knows that this rule is broken amost as a matter of course.
To make matters worse at many roundabouts it is impossible to see if there are any other vehicles because the view is obstructed by vegetation on the centre island, often by scrub or trees.
Should there be an exemption from prosecution for breaking the rules when vision is impaired by Government sanctioned obstructions?

Is road safety a farse?

Hi Issy,

So you've been busted, not giving way at a roundabout, did you end up in the trees and shrubs in the middle island. Did it save the ratepayers some council pruning? In your case the judge should show leniency, 20 years and a $1,000,000 fine should be sufficient to deter your woeful behaviour. BTW, I didn't think there were many roundabout's out your way on the Nullarbor Plain.

Golden rule, GIVE WAY TO ALL OTHER IDIOTS ON THE ROAD.

ps; Are you still shirty on me about the conquistadors? Really, they were a nice bunch of lads in their own way.

Issy, what is not clear in your opening post, were you in a motor vehicle, or driving a horse drawn conveyance, riding a penny-farthing bicycle, maybe on a pair of roller-skates, or simply taking a stroll?

This is important as to the penalty to be imposed.

Just as we set a minimum age in Australia of 16 before one can apply for a licence (learners permit), which in my opinion is too young. There should be consideration of cancelling of drivers licences at one reaching the age of 80, in an excise in improving road safety, by having one less hazard whilst responsible people are behind the wheel.

p/s Old folks should be issued with a free public transport ticket, or an acceptable pair of government issued walking shoes.

p/p/s Something needs to be done about old farts in those mini golf carts flying around the streets and shopping centres., they are an unlicensed, uncontrolled, public nuisance. Are there any cart or trolley people on the forum?

"p/p/s Something needs to be done about old farts in those mini golf carts flying around the streets and shopping centres., they are an unlicensed, uncontrolled, public nuisance. Are there any cart or trolley people on the forum?"

I had one of them the other day when I left the new Redland Bay Village shops, she was driving it into oncoming traffic and I had to go right around her, I wouldn't have minded so much but there was a footpath right there she could've been traveling on instead. I thought it was a little dangerous or careless.

There should be no exemptions for any laws. There are just too many people driving cars who should not be: particularly those who think the give-way-to-the-right rule applies at roundabouts. Theoe idiots who hold everyone up if they see a car on the horizon to their right.

ttbn,
The give way to the right rule does apply at roundabouts, the rule is that one must give way to all vehicles in a roundabout.

Issy,

If two cars arrive at a roundabout at the same time , the give way to the right rule applies, and a roundabout should not be used to do a u-turn, tell my wife.

"Theoe idiots who hold everyone up" watch out for ttbn, don't seem to know the road rules. BTW, what's a "Theoe", possibly a Greek chariot driver, different rules at the Acropolis.

Is Mise- I think that ttbn was referring to those drivers that are on the right but not on the round-about. Some people try to scare or dominate others approaching the round-about by aggressive fast breaking. If the give-way to those on the round-about rule was more widely followed and enforced drivers would perhaps learn to approach it slower. How do you define giving way when many round-abouts are less than two car lengths in size. You could argue that if someone is approaching from the right and the car on the left enters the round-about- then they didn't give-way- or maybe the rule should be the same as the merging rule- the car in front (or in this case closer to the round-about) has right of way. Many don't follow the merging rules properly either. If people followed the check-indicate-move rule (or mirror indicator break), three clicks of the indicator rule, two second rule, etc- things would be safer on the road. I've also thought in the past that obstacles on the round-about is problematic for visibility- but there are some round-abouts with important historical items- such as memorials.

All in all, roundabouts are considered safer than uncontrolled intersections. So we should all be thankful to that French traffic genius who installed the first roundabout in Paris for motor vehicles in 1896. Next to GPS they have to be the best thing since traffic lights. (December 1868, the first traffic light in the world was installed in London outside the British Parliament of Westminster) Seems it was on red for 20 years, until the first, sorry second, car was invented so the traffic light (there was only one) could be of some use.

Paul, That 1868 traffic light in London was semaphore and gaslight. It lasted only a couple of months before it blew up.

Traffic control was needed in London in the mid 1800s, because of all the broughams, barouches, landaus, cabriolets, victorias, curricles, berlins, gigs, phaetons, hackneys and omnibuses - all types of horsedrawn carriages, as well as delivery wagons and drays. By 1851 London was the most populous city in the world and was booming (1851 2.7m, 1871 3.8m).

Traffic was controlled by policemen stationed at each busy intersection. The 1868 invention was designed to cut the number of police needed. It could be run by just one policeman; when it blew up the policeman then in control was injured.

Thanks Cossomby, I do like a bit of trivia, put that one in next weeks questions. Did the Romans have roundabouts? Give way to the chariot on the right rule? They didn't have parking tickets, just crucifixions, it saved the Centurion paper work. Well they didn't have paper to save the work, just stone tablets, when put under the windscreen wiper of a chariot, sorry chariots didn't come fitted with wipers as standard, they were an optional extra on the 65BC Pompeii model with duel exhausts, Issy had one in metallic purple, he used to drive it to the Coliseum for the Saturday arvo matinee, Gladiators v's The Christians, the Gladiators won 4-3 with a late beheading, the Christians failed to make even one conversion.