Americans tend to be fond of stop signs and electric traffic lights—after all, we invented them—and we’ve installed them by the millions, leaving other setups, such as roundabouts, to the rest of the world.
But roundabouts are actually safer and more efficient than traditional intersections, so it’s no surprise the U.S. is (finally) coming around to them. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that fatal crashes decreased by 89% at intersections where stop signs and traffic signals were replaced by roundabouts, and a 2014 study in Minnesota saw similar results. “The most deadly type of crash is the right-angle crash,” explains Derek Leuer, a traffic safety engineer at the Minnesota Department of Transportation. “At roundabouts, it is nearly impossible for a right-angle crash to occur.”
If your city or town is going in circles, but you haven’t seen a roundabout since your driver’s ed handbook, here’s a refresher on how to mind your manners while making your way around.