Missed Opportunity: Use of Driver License Manuals to Educate Drivers About Roundabouts in Small- and Medium-Sized Communities

Modern roundabouts have become increasingly popular in small and medium cities in the United States because of their success in reducing speeds and collisions. According to many traffic engineers, modern roundabouts are an attractive and cost-effective speed-control device for intersections. They have been constructed in small and medium communities in California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. Geometric designs and right-of-way rules at roundabouts and traffic circles are distinct, and student drivers must be educated and informed of the correct way to use them. State driver manuals could be used to ensure fast dissemination of information to residents in small and medium communities. Review of the manuals of 32 states and the District of Columbia in 1998 and 2002 indicated that very little information is provided and by very few states. Between 1998 and 2002, only three states of those studied updated the information on roundabouts and traffic circles in the driver manuals. The manual of the state of Oregon is best for both traffic circles and roundabouts. The information in most of the manuals is covered in one sentence, and some states have used the term “traffic circle” to mean both circle and roundabout. It is imperative that the manuals be revised with adequate information on the correct way to use roundabouts so that the drivers in small and medium communities are better informed and less resistant to these devices.