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.