How to Drive a Roundabout

Yield left, pick your lane early, never stop inside. · Updated July 12, 2026

Roundabouts move more cars with fewer serious crashes than signaled intersections — which is why states keep building them, and why they keep showing up on knowledge tests. The whole system runs on one rule: traffic inside the circle has the right-of-way.

Slow down on approach — typical advisory speed is 15–25 mph — and pick your lane early: in a two-lane roundabout, right lane for right turns and straight, left lane for straight, left turns and U-turns (the signs and pavement arrows always win over the rule of thumb).
Yield to traffic already circulating (coming from your left) and to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Yield means be ready to stop — but if it's clear, keep rolling; unnecessary full stops cause rear-end hits.
Enter to the right (counter-clockwise) into your chosen lane and never change lanes inside the circle.
Signal right as you pass the exit before yours, then exit. Don't signal earlier — it tells waiting drivers you're leaving when you aren't.

🎯 Test-day trap questions: "Who has the right-of-way in a roundabout?" (circulating traffic), "What do you do if you miss your exit?" (go around again — never stop or reverse), and "Large truck straddling both lanes?" (give it room; trucks legally need both). These exact patterns appear in state banks — try them in your state's practice test.

📱 The knowledge behind the wheel starts with the knowledge test. PermitPal in your browser drills your state's handbook-verified bank until pass day is a formality. Free to start, $29.99 once. Also on the App Store and Google Play.