Do You Need to Use Your Turn Signal While Using a Michigan Roundabout?
Roundabouts have been in Michigan for a while now. In fact, according to Sinas Dramis, the first roundabout was "built by the Oakland County Road Commission in 1996."
Roundabouts in Michigan
However, despite the fact that roundabouts have been in Michigan for 26 years, drivers still seem to have no idea what to do sometimes. To the point where I've had drivers come at me head-on driving the wrong way on a roundabout...I guess they thought it'd be easier to cut across rather than go in a full circle. But I digress...
Love them or hate them, roundabouts do a great job at making intersections safer. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, roundabouts can help reduce fatal crashes and injury crashes by 78 - 82%, depending on what kind of intersection was there before.
With that in mind, perhaps it's a good idea to go over the laws when it comes to roundabouts. Particularly about whether or not you have to use your turn signal while using one.
How to Use a Roundabout
It might seem easy to navigate, but there's a little more to it than meets the eye.
Here's what the Michigan Department of Transportation has to say about using a roundabout properly:
Oh, and just a tip I've picked up while driving and encountering other drivers in a roundabout...Don't stop in the middle of a roundabout to let someone in! I know it sounds like you're doing the polite thing, but it's super dangerous. The whole point of the roundabout once you're in it is to keep going until you exit. The next driver waiting will be okay if you don't let them in.
Do You Have to Use a Turn Signal in a Roundabout?
So, yes! If you didn't know before, now you know that you are supposed to use your turn signal while using a roundabout. Because yes, you might be driving around in a big circle, but you need to let other drivers know when you'll be exiting that circle.