Random Thought of the Day

Quote: kenarman

A lot of driving instructors say improper merging is the most common mistake new drivers make and we give them no instruction in it at all.

Quite a bit later on after I learned to drive I realized that avoiding the blind spots of other vehicles - and also not allowing someone else to get in your blind spots - was very key in avoiding accidents. That is another area that gets no instruction.

A truck has a multitude of blind spots. Drivers need to learn and avoid these for sure. The below shows them and I have seen similar that didn't show the one on the right side of the driver around the area of the passenger door. I was in an accident once that involved that one [I had just pulled onto a freeway right into that blind spot and the driver wanted into my lane. It was minor but educated me quickly]

Quote: odiousgambit

It was minor but educated me quickly]

Better to be educated, than roadkill.

(man, you look at the html code underlying that image. Holy moly, must be NSA grade scramble.)

Quote: rxwine

(man, you look at the html code underlying that image. Holy moly, must be NSA grade scramble.)

most of the images from google images are like that, I know not why. I do know they are impossible to use without copy and paste LOL

I'm not sure if you guys were just talking past eachother with how to handle a two lane roundabout and the problems you see with them...

https://www.facebook.com/AMADriverEducation/videos/961410487227225/

that is a video showing examples.

so, we have a 4 lane road, 2 lanes in each direction. for one direction, you have a right lane and a left lane. the roundabout has an inside lane and an outside lane.

if you are in the right lane, you enter the outside lane of the roundabout. you can now go 1/4 of the way around and exit to right to the right lane of the road, or go half way around and exit to the right lane of the road straight across.

If you are in the left lane, you enter the inside lane of the roundabout, and you can either go half way around and exit to the left lane of the road straight across, or continue to the left any number of quarter turns you want, and when you exit the roundabout, go to the left lane of the road. This will cross the outside lane of the roundabout. this shouldn't ever be a problem, since the person in the right lane isn't supposed to be there, ever.

the main conflict here is if the person in the outside lane of the roundabout tries to go more than half way around the circle. they aren't supposed to do that, and that is probably where your defensive driving alarms get up in hackles - you have to trust them to do that, and you can't really see ahead of time if they aren't going to do that.

the other problem is if the person on the inside lane drifts to the outside lane in order to exit the roundabout. you might end up cutting someone in the outside lane off, or even sideswiping them.

this is the way that a "modern" roundabout works.

there is an upper limit of the amount of traffic one will handle, where a traffic light will be able to handle more volume. but I agree that most 4 way stops with 2 lane roads (one in each direction) are excellent candidates for 1 lane roundabouts.

I hope you are not talking about Britain etc. I will assume not.

Quote: Dalex64

when you exit the roundabout, go to the left lane of the road

say again?

Quote:

the person in the right lane isn't supposed to be there, ever.

but if the person in the right lane is in fact in the right lane, then he is there whether he is supposed to be or not.

But how do you exit without getting in the right lane anyway?

Since I have these questions it might explain why I don't like multi-lane traffic circles [another name for them btw]

Watch the video. I am not talking about Britain, I'm talking about the USA. I think this kind of roundabout is replacing the traffic circles in Britain, too. There were a few traffic circles in New England, but I believe they have all been replaced with the "modern roundabout". I believe they are calling them modern roundabouts to distinguish them, and their operating rules, from the previous traffic circle rules.

The original "traffic circles" did not follow these rules - for those you had to be in the outside lane to exit.

In these "modern roundabouts" the two lane version, a person in the outside lane exits to the right lane of the road.

A person in the inside lane exits to the left lane of the road, without first merging to the outside lane. They will cross over the outside lane on the way out, of course, but only the part that is next to the left lane of the road. Someone could be next to you in the outside lane, and they will exit to the right lane of the road. The two cars can go through at the same time, side by side, and not hit eachother.

In a 3 lane roundabout, the person in the outside lane can exit right or straight across, the person in the middle lane has to exit straight across, and the person in the inside lane can exit straight across or continue to the left. In all three cases, these cars entered the roundabout from the right, center, and left lane of the roadway, respectively, and must exit the roundabout to the same lane.

We have a few variations around here - one is a two lane roundabout with the addition of a right turn only lane, which the person in the outside lane of the roundabout must go straight across and isn't allowed to turn.

One more important distinction between the US and Uk... The side of the road we drive on, and counterclockwise circulation through the roundabout.

CBS (of all people) announced a new Trek series for next year, to be available only in the US for online streaming (and $6 per month).

If Patrick Stewart isn't in it, and he isn't or we'd know it by now, how can it possibly work?

How small should a minority be in order that the majority may trample its rights and lives with impunity?

Quote: Nareed

How small should a minority be in order that the majority may trample its rights and lives with impunity?

About the size of ants?

In a democracy 49%.