Roundabouts

Key points

1. Roundabouts cut fatal crashes about 90%, injury crashes about 75% and overall crashes about 35%.

   Source: Handbook p. 57

   “roundabouts reduce fatal crashes about 90%, reduce injury crashes about 75%, and reduce overall crashes about 35%”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 57

2. Before entering, yield to pedestrians and bicyclists, then to traffic on your left already in the roundabout.

   Source: Handbook p. 57

   “Before entering a roundabout, yield to pedestrians and bicyclists. Yield to traffic on your left already in the roundabout.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 57

3. Enter when there is a safe gap, and keep your speed low inside.

   Source: Handbook p. 57

   “Enter the roundabout when there is a safe gap in traffic. Keep your speed low within the roundabout.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 57

4. If you are already in the roundabout when an emergency vehicle comes, continue to your exit and then pull over.

   Source: Handbook p. 58

   “If you have entered the roundabout, continue to your exit, then pull over and allow emergency vehicles to pass.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 58

5. Vehicles already in the roundabout have the right of way.

   Source: Handbook p. 58

   “Vehicles already in the roundabout have the right-of-way.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 58

6. Never turn left to enter a roundabout. Turn right when there is a safe gap.

   Source: Handbook p. 58

   “Never make a left turn to enter a roundabout; when there's a safe gap in the traffic, turn to the right to enter the roundabout.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 58

7. If you miss your exit, drive around again. Never back up in a roundabout.

   Source: Handbook p. 58

   “If you miss your exit, drive around the roundabout again to your exit. Never back up when in a roundabout.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 58

8. The truck apron is for the rear wheels of large trucks, not for cars, pickups or SUVs.

   Source: Handbook p. 58

   “for the rear wheels of large trucks to use when turning. The rear wheels leave the roundabout’s standard roadway and ride upon the apron. Truck aprons are not intended to be used by cars, pickup trucks, or SUVs.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 58

Numbers to know

Recognize these signs

3 questions from the Alabama practice test

1. 1. When entering an Alabama roundabout, which movement is required?

   1. Turn left across the circulating lane
   2. Turn right through a safe gap in traffic
   3. Stop at the entrance until every approach is empty
   4. Enter straight ahead without yielding to traffic already inside
   Show answer

   Turn right through a safe gap in traffic. The manual directs drivers to enter a roundabout when there is a safe gap and to turn right to join the counterclockwise flow. The left-turn choice would move against the intended circulation. Waiting until every approach is empty is unnecessary and can disrupt traffic because the instruction calls for a safe gap, not total emptiness. A driver must also yield to traffic already in the roundabout, so entering straight through without yielding is unsafe. Slow down, check for pedestrians and bicyclists, yield, then turn right into the open gap.

2. 2. If a driver misses an exit in an Alabama roundabout, what should the driver do?

   1. Continue around the roundabout to the exit again
   2. Stop inside the circle and signal for help
   3. Back up to the missed exit when the lane is clear
   4. Cross the center island to reach the exit
   Show answer

   Continue around the roundabout to the exit again. Missing an exit does not justify reversing or stopping in the circular roadway. The manual says to drive around the roundabout again to reach the desired exit, and separately warns never to back up while in a roundabout. The back-up option creates a conflict with circulating traffic, while stopping inside the circle can obstruct vehicles and crossing the center island is not an authorized correction. The practical cue is simple: keep moving with the circle, complete another lap, and take the exit on the next pass when it is safe.

3. 3. Once you are driving inside a roundabout, when may you stop?

   1. Whenever you are unsure which exit to take
   2. To let a waiting car enter from the next entry
   3. Only when it is the only way to avoid a crash or other danger
   4. At each entry point, the same as at a four-way stop
   Show answer

   Only when it is the only way to avoid a crash or other danger. Traffic in a roundabout keeps flowing in one direction, so the rule is to keep moving and stop only when stopping is the only way to avoid a crash or another danger. If you are unsure of your exit, keep going and take it on the next trip around instead of braking in the lane. Stopping to wave in a waiting car reverses the rule, because vehicles already in the roundabout have the right of way. A roundabout does not work like a four-way stop with a stop at every entry.

Source: the Alabama Driver Manual, Chapter 5: Signs, Signals and Road Markings. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.