How do I get round a multi-lane roundabout in the right lane?
The general rule from the Highway Code, why the painted arrows override it, how to read a roundabout before you reach it, and what to do when you end up in the wrong lane.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 18 min
- Read
- 6 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
The default rule from the Highway Code is: turning left, approach in the left lane and signal left; going straight ahead, use the left lane unless markings say otherwise and signal as you pass the exit before yours; turning right or going full circle, approach in the right lane, signal right, and keep signalling right until you pass the exit before the one you want, then signal left. Painted markings and signs override all of that — read them on the approach.
Roundabouts are where drivers who are otherwise fine lose confidence, and it is nearly always because they are trying to work everything out at the give-way line. By that point it is too late: you cannot read the overhead sign, choose a lane, judge a gap and pick a moment all at once. Every experienced driver has solved this the same way, which is to make the lane decision well before arriving. The rules themselves are short and are in the Highway Code at rules 184 to 190. Almost all the difficulty is in the timing and in the fact that the general rule is regularly overridden by paint on the road.
Safety
Step by step
- Start reading it from as far back as you can see.Advance direction signs before a large roundabout show a diagram of the junction with the destinations for each lane. That sign is the instruction, and it is far easier to read from two hundred metres away at forty than from the line. Look for it and act on it early.
- Let the painted markings override the general rule.Where lanes are marked with destinations or arrows, those markings govern. Many roundabouts allow two lanes for the same exit, or require the left lane for a straight-ahead exit that the general rule would put you elsewhere for. Rule 184 of the Highway Code says to use the markings; when they exist, they win.
- Apply the default rule where there are no markings.Left turn — left lane, signal left on approach, keep left. Straight ahead — normally the left lane, no signal on approach, signal left after the exit before yours. Right turn or full circle — right lane, signal right on approach, hold that signal until after the exit before yours, then signal left.
- Get into the lane early and stay in it.Choose before the approach lanes divide, and then commit. Changing lanes on the roundabout itself is where most collisions here happen, because vehicles beside you are hidden behind the door pillar exactly when they matter.
- Look right, but keep scanning ahead too.You give way to traffic from the immediate right unless signs or markings say otherwise. But watching only right means arriving on the roundabout behind a queue you did not see. Alternate between the gap on the right and the space you are aiming for.
- Judge gaps by whether the car will still be there.Do not look for a gap; look at whether the approaching vehicle will have passed your entry point by the time you reach it. Traffic on a roundabout is moving, so the space you are aiming at is moving too. This shift in thinking is what makes roundabouts stop feeling like a lottery.
- Signal left as you pass the exit before yours.Not earlier, or drivers waiting at the intervening exit will pull out in front of you, and not later, or nobody knows what you are doing. Passing the previous exit is the trigger; it works at every size of roundabout.
- Do not trust other people's indicators.A vehicle indicating left may not leave. Wait until it is actually committed to the exit — moving towards it and slowing — before you pull out. Drivers routinely leave a signal on from a previous exit or forget one entirely.
- Handle a mistake calmly.If you are in the wrong lane, take the exit that lane serves and turn round. If you have missed your exit, go round again — it is entirely normal and vastly safer than a late lane change or a sudden swerve to the left.
Common mistakes
- Choosing the lane at the give-way line — There is no time left to read the markings, choose, and judge the traffic. Every confident roundabout driver has made the decision several hundred metres earlier.
- Changing lanes on the roundabout itself — The vehicle alongside you is in your blind spot at exactly the point where the geometry hides it behind the door pillar. Going round again costs a minute.
If it doesn't work
You freeze at the line and cannot find a gap
Cause: Waiting for a gap you would be comfortable with rather than one that works — Fix: Watch the vehicle on your right rather than the space. If it will pass your entry before you get there, go. Being decisive is safer here than being tentative, because the driver behind is also planning.
Ended up in the wrong lane approaching a spiral roundabout
Cause: Spiral markings guide you outward and prevent lane changes — Fix: Follow the lane you are in to its exit. Spiral roundabouts are designed to make crossing lanes impossible, and fighting that is the dangerous option.
Someone cut across you from the outside lane
Cause: They were in the left lane and went right round — Fix: It happens constantly. Leave room, do not sit alongside another vehicle on a roundabout, and hang back a little where you can rather than travelling side by side.
Mini-roundabouts feel completely different
Cause: They are — everyone must pass round the central marking, and there is little room to manoeuvre — Fix: Rule 188 applies: give way to traffic from the right, pass round the central marking, and be aware that vehicles may not be able to. Signal your exit clearly; there is very little time for others to read you.
Two lanes both marked for your exit and you do not know which
Cause: A common arrangement on large roundabouts — Fix: Take the left of the two unless you intend to overtake or the left lane is queuing to turn off. Then stay in your lane through the exit — many exits are two lanes wide.
Traffic lights on the roundabout confuse the priority
Cause: Signalised roundabouts override the give-way rule at the lights — Fix: Obey the signals, and be aware that some are only lit at peak times. When the lights are off, the ordinary roundabout rules return.
Questions people ask
Do I have to signal on a roundabout?
Yes, and the timing is what matters. Signal right on approach if turning right, signal left on approach if turning left, and signal left after passing the exit before the one you want in every case. Rules 184 to 187 of the Highway Code set it out.
Who has priority on a roundabout?
Traffic coming from your immediate right, unless signs, markings or traffic signals say otherwise. Watch also for cyclists and horse riders, who may stay in the left-hand lane all the way round and signal right to show they are continuing — the Code specifically asks drivers to give them room.
What is a spiral roundabout?
One with lane markings that curve outwards so that a lane you enter carries you to a specific exit without changing lanes. Get the entry lane right and the roundabout does the rest. Attempting to cross the spiral markings is both prohibited and dangerous.