Pennsylvania keeps building roundabouts because the safety data supports them — PennDOT and IIHS both show fewer severe crashes than signalized intersections. The crashes that remain cluster around one persistently violated rule: entering traffic yields to circulating traffic. Full stop, or rather, yield.
- The rule set: yield on entry to vehicles already circulating; don’t stop inside the circle; signal your exit; multi-lane circles add lane-choice duties the signs define.
- The crash patterns: entering-vehicle strikes on circulating traffic (the classic — fault on the enterer), improper lane use in two-lane circles (lane-discipline rules apply), and rear-ends at entry yields (the presumption follows).
- The confusion defense: ‘I didn’t understand the circle’ is an explanation, not an excuse — the yield signs state the duty, and unfamiliarity doesn’t transfer fault to the driver who followed them.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was circulating and an entering car hit me. They say I ‘came around too fast.’
Circulating traffic holds the right of way — speed arguments go to comparative percentages at most, and entry-yield violations dominate the analysis. Circle cameras and damage geometry usually settle it.
Who’s at fault in a two-lane roundabout sideswipe?
Usually the lane-crosser — exit-from-inner-lane-across-outer is the standard violation. Lane markings and vehicle paths decide it.
What does hiring you cost?
No attorney’s fee unless we recover; the contingency percentage and cost handling are in the written fee agreement. Consultations are free.
Questions about your situation? Call (215) 464-4600 or contact us online — free, confidential consultations, contingency-fee representation.