Q: I’m wondering about the rules for signaling when your car is exiting a roundabout. I rarely see people do this and so I went to the WSDOT website. The written instructions don’t mention signaling nor do the drivers in the instructional videos signal when exiting. Do you know why this is?
A: Do you want my opinion, or do you want the law? I just asked a dumb question; of course you want the law. But I’m going to give you my opinion anyway. I think you should signal your intention to exit a roundabout. However, as we all know, there is a big difference between “think you should” and “required by law.” Are you required by law to signal in a roundabout? That’s where things get tricky.
You mentioned that the WSDOT website doesn’t mention signaling in its written instructions or videos. You’re right about the videos, but the WSDOT website actually does direct drivers to use turn signals when exiting a roundabout; you just have to scroll down the webpage toward the end. And that just makes things even more confusing.
Keep in mind the work of WSDOT. They build, maintain and operate our state transportation network. When WSDOT tells you to signal coming out of a roundabout you might wonder if they’re telling you how to follow the law or if they’re giving guidance on how to make their transportation network operate safer and more efficiently. In the case of signals in roundabouts it might be the latter.
The law doesn’t have special sections devoted to how to use turn signals in various kinds of intersections. Instead, there is one section that describes how and when to use turn signals no matter what your situation. Here’s the opening line of that law: “No person shall turn a vehicle or move right or left upon a roadway . . . without giving an appropriate signal . . .”
Do you have to move right or left upon a roadway to exit a roundabout? Clearly, it takes a right turn to get out of a roundabout, so that means you have to signal your intention. Case closed, right?
Not so fast. The next line in the law states, “A signal of intention to turn or move right or left when required shall be given continuously during not less than the last one hundred feet traveled by the vehicle before turning.” If the distance between the legs on a roundabout is less than 100 feet, is it even possible to comply with the law? If I signal my intent to exit the third leg of the roundabout at least 100 feet before my turn I’ll confuse the drivers I encounter at the first and second legs of the roundabout. If turn signals are required because they clearly communicate your intended direction, following the letter of the law in a roundabout defeats the purpose of the law. Can we hold people to a law when it’s not actually practical to obey it as written?
I conducted an unscientific one-question survey with a few folks in our local law enforcement community, asking, “Are drivers required to signal when coming out of a roundabout?” Of the sixteen answers I received, I got three responses of “yes”, two “probably yes” and 13 “no”. Many included an explanation for their position. When you get reasonable explanations for both the “yes” and the “no” interpretation, I’m going to go out on a limb and conclude that the law is probably too vague.
Why can’t we get a more confident answer to this question? Here’s my theory: If you recall high school civics class you’ll remember that legislators write the law, the police enforce the law and judges interpret the law. Applying that to this conversation, legislators haven’t updated the law about turn signals requirements since 1975 (long before we started putting roundabouts in Washington). Lack of clarity in the law means police officers don’t write infractions to people who don’t signal in roundabouts, which means that judges don’t see any cases regarding signaling in roundabouts and thus don’t have an opportunity to interpret the law and give us a final determination on what the law means.
Regardless of whether or not police officers think signaling in a roundabout is required, they agree that signaling shortly before your exit increases safety and shows courtesy to other drivers. Look at that; even if my opening opinion isn’t the law, it still has solid support from those who enforce the law. The law establishes a minimum standard for agreed-upon driving behavior. Being a great driver sometimes includes actions that, while not required, help make the road a safer (and more efficient) place. Like signaling in roundabouts.