The roundabout is a sight all too common in Europe and other parts of the world. In fact, according to this article on the Economist, Britain has 10,000, Australia 15,000 and France 20,000. Here in the United States, we have about 1,000 of the modern style roundabout's, as opposed to so-called "traffic circles" which are not as efficient and allow pedestrian traffic. The U.S. adds about 150 to 250 new roundabouts a year. The benefits are hard to overlook, with safety standing out loud and clear: "A 2001 study by the IIHS found that roundabouts have 80% fewer crashes with injuries than ordinary intersections." Of course, readers here at AutoblogGreen will also be glad to hear that roundabouts also save gas by not forcing cars to sit still at red lights waiting for their turn to go, which also has the benefit of saving time.

With Nascar being such a popular part of American culture, you'd think that drivers would feel at ease only turning left, no?

[Source: The Economist]

Roundabouts... I can honestly say that I've never found myself in one. Living here in Ohio, the traffic congestion is really not all that bad, for the most part. I hear that some cities near Detroit may be getting some roundabouts, though, so perhaps I will drive in one soon enough. Anyway, some people have problems in roundabouts, they get stuck and are not sure how or when to get out of them properly. Most Americans are more familiar with the good old stop sign or traffic light, so that is what we have the most of. Unfortunately, the roundabout is much more efficient at getting traffic flowing, and according to this posting, much more environmentally friendly to boot. This, of course, assumes that drivers can figure them out and don't drive in endless loops, burning off their tank of gas in the process. Hey look kids, there's Big Ben, and there's Parliament.

[Source: Triple Pundit]