The costly road rule that many drivers don’t know
There is one road rule that is flying under the radar and costing Aussies hundreds of dollars in fines.
Most drivers are under the impression that they have to give way to people entering a roundabout on their right, but drivers are also meant to give way to those already on the roundabout.
“There seems to be a bit of a misconception that when you approach the roundabout you look to the right to see if another vehicle is approaching the roundabout and wait,” NRMA’s Peter Khoury told Yahoo7.
“You actually give way to vehicles that are already on the roundabout to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.”
Motorists need to give way to cars driving through the roundabout from all directions and if you don’t, you can face some hefty consequences.
Drivers in NSW who don’t give way to cars on roundabouts can be hit with a $330 fine and lose three demerit points. In South Australia, the offense costs $419 and three demerit points, and $159 in Victoria.
If drivers in Queensland are caught breaking this road rule, they will get fined $378 and lose three demerit points.
In Western Australia, drivers will lose three demerit points and will have to pay $150 if they don’t give way at a roundabout.
Drivers in Tasmania will be hit with a $159 fine and lose three demerit points.
Mr Khoury said there is a lot of confusion around road rules on roundabouts.
He said another rule that many drivers do not know is when they should indicate when entering and exiting a roundabout.
Drivers who are exiting the roundabout to the left or the right must indicate when entering the roundabout and again when they exit.
Motorists driving straight do not need to indicate when entering the roundabout but need to indicate when exiting.
“Any misconceptions we need to clear up because there’s a lot of traffic at these locations,” Mr Khoury said.