From: jak@cs.brown.edu (Jak Kirman)
Subject: Re: brain damaged drivers
Reply-To: jak@cs.brown.edu
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Brown University
	<Apr.16.15.07.11.1992.26078@aramis.rutgers.edu>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 21:32:32 GMT

In article <Apr.16.15.07.11.1992.26078@aramis.rutgers.edu> rinehart@aramis.rutgers.edu (Mark J. Rinehart) writes:

>   The *circles* [aka roundabouts, aka rotaries] in NJ are fast becoming
>   history - thankfully. Seeing as how at least 50% of the folks I've
>   seen have no clue about how to drive around a circle, this is a
>   welcome move by the DOT. They are making all circles into either an
>   overpass/underpass intersection, or they're straightening them out
>   and putting in traffic signals.
>
>   fyi, at all circles still in existence in NJ, everybody has the right
>   of way when entering and proceeding around a circle, according to a
>   police officer I spoke to after being in an accident in a circle.

It seems to me that if people don't know how to deal with roundabouts,
they should be taught to, rather than removing the roundabouts.
Obviously educating drivers is not a concept that the US Department of
Transportation feels comfortable with.

IMHO, the problem is not roundabouts or strange traffic lights or
differences between states, it is that people here can get their driving
license almost without demonstrating any ability to drive at all.  I
came here with a British license, and eventually had to get a Rhode
Island license.  The person testing me got in my car, instructed me to
drive around the block, and then got out, giving me my license.  I
didn't have to perform any kind of maneuvers, make any lane changes, or
anything more complicated than a right turn.  The "written" portion of
the test contained questions like: You are coming up to a traffic light
that is just turning green.  Someone is coming into the intersection
from the street at right angles to yours, and it looks like they will
run the red light.  Do you a) accelerate to take the right of way or b)
let them run the light?

When roundabouts were first introduced to the part of France where I was
living twelve years ago (the south), people had some trouble with them,
partly because they were a new concept and partly because the default
right of way rule in France is to give way to the person on your right.
For a roundabout this means giving way to the person entering the
roundabout, which is obviously the wrong thing to do if you want any
kind of flow at all.  After a few months the authorities realized this
and put up give way signs at the entrances to all the roundabouts.
Traffic flowed smoothly thereafter.  

It might help if the police here enforced reasonable traffic laws like
signalling turns and lane changes, not running red lights, etc. instead
of only enforcing speed limits, but I still think that better drivers
education and much much stiffer driving tests are what is needed.

                         Jak Kirman                        jak@cs.brown.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She's the original good time that was had by all.
                                -- Bette Davis, of another actress (Attrib.)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving