kfr@hou5f.UUCP (Kevin Redden) (11/10/84)
A recent submission to the net specified that the right-of-way
in a traffic circle belongs to the traffic comming from the right.
THIS IS INCORRECT!
In New Jersey, the motor vehicle law specifies that traffic in
the circle has the right-of-way over traffic entering the circle
(otherwise, how would the circle be able to empty itself if incomming
traffic could continue, while traffic in the circle had to stop?).
While this is what the law specifies, it seems that most drivers do not
know this - therefor - use extreme caution when in the circle. Most drivers
believe that the traffic in the circle must give way
(as is shown in the other submission), and they will try to enter the
circle regardless of oncomming circle traffic.
Since this is such a common misconception, and so many accidents
take place in circles (the dreaded Somerville circle averages over 360 accidents per year), does anyone know why the law is not:
1. changed to reflect how people really drive?
or
2. rigidly enforced to bring some order out of the caos?