Driving Test - Q

Aceform

Hello,

Just a Quick Q re RIGHT OF WAY at turnabouts. Ok I failed my test because of this situation. (I got
a Grade 3 for the below)

Tester asked me to take the Third exit at one of the roundabouts, I took my position to the right of
the road, indicated right. I entered the roundabout as my way was clear. When I was about nearing the
second exit, a Lady came in and joined in front of me, blocking the traffic. I became panic
and just waited behid her. Since the traffic was bad, I had wait in the roundabout for few minutes
till my way was clear.

Could you please explain, what was the right thing to do in this situation.

Cheers,
Ace

Gary ITR

Thats not a turnabout? Was that a typo or is your grade 3 marked in the turnabout section or the roundabout section?

jhegarty

Aceform wrote:

Hello,

Just a Quick Q re RIGHT OF WAY at turnabouts. Ok I failed my test because of this situation. (I got
a Grade 3 for the below)

Tester asked me to take the Third exit at one of the roundabouts, I took my position to the right of
the road, indicated right. I entered the roundabout as my way was clear. When I was about nearing the
second exit, a Lady came in and joined in front of me, blocking the traffic. I became panic
and just waited behid her. Since the traffic was bad, I had wait in the roundabout for few minutes
till my way was clear.

Could you please explain, what was the right thing to do in this situation.

Cheers,
Ace

Thats one of those things where its hard not to fail on , dammed if you do , dammed if you don't ....

Did she enter the roudabout in front of you when you where already on it ? (ie took your right of way ?)

jhegarty

Onkle51 wrote:

Thats not a turnabout? Was that a typo or is your grade 3 marked in the turnabout section or the roundabout section?

good point ... that was a roundabout, not a turnabout (thats the 3 point turn)

Aceform

I'm sorry, It was a Round About. Not turnabout

Stark

Similar thing always happens to me on the Blanchardstown roundabout on the N3 (not during a driving test thank god ). I take the correct lane as indicated for turning right (3 lanes, I take the rightmost) but when I try to take the 3rd exit, my way is usually blocked off by someone who took the middle lane coming onto the roundabout. The only way I found around the problem was to try and switch to the middle lane as early as possible while on the roundabout without blocking the second exit.

It's a real damned if you do, damned if you don't situation though as on some roundabouts there's no "correct" behaviour. Kinsale roundabout in Cork being a perfect example of somewhere where noone could pass a test.

easyontheeye

They say you must only enter the roundabout if your exit is clear, I think in your case you were unlucky the your exit got blocked and you had to pause on the roundabout, I think the instructor may have been harsh on you becuase they look for the slightest reason to give you a bad mark, or maybe he didnt like the way you handled it ... you cant win!

Stark

By the way, did the roundabout have traffic lights? (Trying to visualise the exact situation).

You say the traffic was bad. Was it a case that there was traffic paused on the roundabout between your entrance and your exit, or that the traffic was bad round the last stretch and you had clear passage until she pulled in and stopped in front of you while waiting for the traffic in front of her to clear?

Aceform

Stark wrote:

By the way, did the roundabout have traffic lights? (Trying to visualise the exact situation).

You say the traffic was bad. Was it a case that there was traffic paused on the roundabout between your entrance and your exit, or that the traffic was bad round the last stretch and you had clear passage until she pulled in and stopped in front of you while waiting for the traffic in front of her to clear?

No there were no traffic lights at the roundabout.

It was around 3:45 on a friday afternoon, as you can imagine the traffic. My entrance was clear, And the roundabout was clear when I entered. But can't excatly remember my exit (was clear or not).

What will you do, if your exit is not clear But if your entrance is clear and the roundabout is clear? Will you not enter the roundabout at all and wait till your exit is clear (You may be waiting for ages for this to happen).

Please suggest.......

RiderOnTheStorm

imho roundabouts do not work when traffic is moving very slowly.

sounds like you did the right thing, at least, thats what i would do...... but I get cut off like that ALL the time on roundabouts....

maybe the tester faulted you because of your 'panic'? Indecision can be 'dangerous' (not saying that this was dangerous). Its a bit harsh a'right, as other driver was wrong to enter when you had right of way.

_Kaiser_

Aceform wrote:

No there were no traffic lights at the roundabout.

It was around 3:45 on a friday afternoon, as you can imagine the traffic. My entrance was clear, And the roundabout was clear when I entered. But can't excatly remember my exit (was clear or not).

What will you do, if your exit is not clear But if your entrance is clear and the roundabout is clear? Will you not enter the roundabout at all and wait till your exit is clear (You may be waiting for ages for this to happen).

Please suggest.......

If you do that you'll get done for not making progress too. THat's what happened to me.

Busy roundabout in finglas at about 11:30. Joining from a housing estate turning left onto the N2 dual carriageway. So there I am in the left lane watching the endless stream of traffic from the right and eejits cutting across each other (without indicating of course).
Add to this a guy in a SUV in the right lane beside me (that of course I can't see through!) and you're done for NOT pulling out in front of someone

There's just no winning in cases like these. .. Roundabouts don't work in my opinion! Better a proper signal-controlled junction is put in, but ultimately it all depends on the mood of the tester.

Vegeta

This happens to me every morning on the way to work and it drives me nuts, I enter on the right hand lane as I am taking the third exit and cars from the second exit/entrance always pull in front of me preventing me from going from the inside lane to the outside lane to take the third exit.

As Stark said above I find the tactic that works best is to go from the inside lane to the outside lane between the first and second exit. The reason for this is because people on the first exit/entrance will probably not pull out in fron of you and if you are in the outside lane by the time you reach the second exit they cannot pull out in front of you.

I hate doing this as you are trying to watch about 4 things at once, the car in front of you, the outside lane to make sure it is ok to pull into it, the 1st entrance and the second entrance for cars pulling out in your way and finally making sure your exit is clear.

On a similar topic, what if the roundabout is big enough that you cant see your exit or the roundabout is so high (tall plants on it) that you cant see the exit. If you pull on and the exit is blocked what can you do in your test, turn to the tester and say " what was i supposed to do there". What would Jesus do?

_Kaiser_

Vegeta wrote:

On a similar topic, what if the roundabout is big enough that you cant see your exit or the roundabout is so high (tall plants on it) that you cant see the exit. If you pull on and the exit is blocked what can you do in your test, turn to the tester and say " what was i supposed to do there". What would Jesus do?

There's a mini roundabout in Finglas that has windscreen high direction signs obsuring the road beyond (from all sides) with the result that you've no idea where that car coming in the opposite direction is going - even if they are indicating, so you wait.

By the logic the test uses that's another mark down for not "making progress"

Vegeta

Kaiser2000 wrote:

There's a mini roundabout in Finglas that has windscreen high direction signs obsuring the road beyond (from all sides) with the result that you've no idea where that car coming in the opposite direction is going - even if they are indicating, so you wait.

By the logic the test uses that's another mark down for not "making progress"

I also find some round abouts very small which makes it difficult/dangerous to have to indicate, take off, change gear, mirrors, indicate, mirrors and then turn all the time watching cars in front of you and the roundabout is a white spot painted on the road about 2 car lengths from entrance to exit.

If people don't think these exist i ask you have you ever driven in Ennis.

Stark

I've seen them in places in Cork. It's almost like some kid dropped his icecream in the middle of a crossroads and suddenly it's a roundabout.

_Kaiser_

Vegeta wrote:

I also find some round abouts very small which makes it difficult/dangerous to have to indicate, take off, change gear, mirrors, indicate, mirrors and then turn all the time watching cars in front of you and the roundabout is a white spot painted on the road about 2 car lengths from entrance to exit.

If people don't think these exist i ask you have you ever driven in Ennis.

Yep there's a load of these in housing estates now and as you say the sheer number of things required of you in such a short amount of time/space is actually MORE dangerous than if they just left it as a proper junction in the first place.

This is even worse in a Test situation as you have to follow all the above steps to the letter

Vegeta

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Yep there's a load of these in housing estates now and as you say the sheer number of things required of you in such a short amount of time/space is actually MORE dangerous than if they just left it as a proper junction in the first place.

This is even worse in a Test situation as you have to follow all the above steps to the letter

Exactly you nearly spend more time looking in the mirrors than keeping your eyes ahead on the roads, I cannot wait to pass my bloody test no matter how many efforts it takes me

Vegeta

Stark wrote:

I've seen them in places in Cork. It's almost like some kid dropped his icecream in the middle of a crossroads and suddenly it's a roundabout.

There's one in my hometown and its gone black from cars driving over it and the tires rubbing on it