Traffic circles got you feeling a little confused?

Regardless of where you drive on the North Coast, or even across the country, many people seem to simply not understand how a traffic circle works.

The very thought of arriving at a traffic circle has more often than not invoked strange hand-gestures, swearing and even the abuse of steering wheels by frustrated motorists – let’s not mention accidents.

So, let’s start by breaking down the purpose of a traffic circle, also known as a roundabout.

Simply put, they are used to avoid confusion at a busy intersection and allow for traffic to flow efficiently. In South Africa, traffic travels clockwise around these circles. When entering the circle, always yield to the right.

Keep in mind that there are two different types of roundabouts, the first being a mini circle.

Mini circles are easily identified by broken yield lines at the circle’s approach.

These types of circles have a small island in the middle which motorists travel around – note to self, avoid traversing the island in future – to navigate which direction they need to go.

Although a dead-stop on approach is not required, slowing down and ensuring that the circle is free of any traffic, is.

ALSO READ: Respect other drivers and obey the rules

Up next, we have the not-so-typical roundabout which allows for multiple lanes to be used.

Once again, remember to yield to incoming traffic from the right.

This sounds simple but more often than not cars are side-swiped or even involved in collisions as a result of motorists who are confused as to how to safely navigate – or indicate – a traffic circle once inside one.

To easily navigate a multi-lane circle, first approach knowing which direction you would like to go.

If you intend on taking the first exit on approach – the immediate left exit – you would need to enter the circle from the left-hand-lane.

Should your route require that you take the last exit, do so by entering the right-hand-lane – in this case, carry out the appropriate exit rules by indicating.

The most important thing to remember when using a multi-lane circle is not to panic, and rather make a double lap if you were forced into the wrong lane.

You should only proceed into the correct lane once safe to do so, keeping in mind that if you have entered the circle in the inner-right lane and would like to exit left immediately, you should drive around the circle until you are able to move out of the inner-lane without upsetting the outer-lanes traffic flow.

Indicating twice in such a circle is a must and should be done on approach and upon exit. Most importantly, remember that if you are planning on going straight, no indicator is required.

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