Dead Right

There's this roundabout near our place that causes me just a little bit of grief. Here's why...
Drivers approach the roundabout as if they have right of way. They do not slow down, give way, or demonstrate that they even noticed that there was a roundabout.


Every time I approach the roundabout I think of a poem that my Dad would recite when I voiced my opinion about occasions such as the roundabout wrong.

Here lies the grave of Samuel Grey, 

Who died defending his right of way, 

He was right, quite right, as he strolled along,  

But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong.

Do you know the roundabout rules? It's pretty simple really - Slow down as you approach a roundabout, give way to traffic already on the roundabout if there is a risk of collision, and enter the roundabout when there is a safe gap. 


There is no rule about giving way to the right - none at all. In fact, there are no specific rules at all about giving way if you all happened to arrive at the a roundabout at the same time. He who hesitates gives way!!!


Driving a Ford Transit Van into a roundabout can sometimes be a tad stressful - even though I start into the roundabout first, my vehicle is SO slow to get going that it might appear that a car that entered the roundabout after me, but without slowing down, had actually entered before me. This happens quite often and some drivers are so rude as to honk their horn at me instead of applying the rule of giving way to avoid collision. 


Generally, I tend towards not being 'dead' right! I have imagined printing a placard saying "Read the Road Rules" and attaching it to the roundabout sign.


Speaking of driving...
I used to think that driving games would be bad for the kids to play because I thought that they would apply the same recklessness to their own driving, not really understanding the consequences of having a crash. But going grocery shopping with Declan and Hudson has changed my mind!!!


I heard a man have a little chuckle when I complained to the boys that they could play computer driving games with such skill but they couldn't even steer my trolley in the right direction for half a second! Obviously, the boys' computer driving skills have not transferred to real life.

Do driving games help you to drive? I know not. 


So to come full circle...
Check out the roundabout rules for your country, state or territory. It might not change anything at all but at least you will know that you had the right of way even if you didn't take it.