Respect the right of way and don't drive in circles

Respect the right of way and don't drive in circles

I'm really fed up with these cars that, under the pretext of priority, rush into roundabouts without giving others time to enter normally. What exactly does the law say about this? Vaud

The basic rule laid down in Article 26 of the Road Traffic Act (LCR) is that everyone must behave in such a way as not to hinder or endanger those using the road in accordance with the established rules.

In the situation that concerns you, the correct use of roundabouts is described in article 41b of the Ordinance on Road Traffic (OCR): before entering the roundabout, all drivers must slow down and give priority to vehicles on their left entering the roundabout. It is true that some drivers hesitate to enter roundabouts because of a strict interpretation of the principle of giving way, thus creating unnecessary delays.

In a decision of 10 March 1998 (ATF 124 IV 81), the Federal Court analysed the right of way on the left in the light of the principle of trust and held that the person on the surface of the roundabout has priority over all those wishing to enter it; the obligation on the person entering the roundabout to slow down is the expression of a particular duty of care when making this manoeuvre.

This means that drivers entering a roundabout do not have to count on the fact that a vehicle will unexpectedly appear on their left at excessive speed, or that a visible vehicle will suddenly accelerate to force their way through, unless there is some indication to the contrary! Compliance with these principles helps to ensure the safety and fluidity of traffic, and there is no reason to give way to a driver who enters a roundabout without complying with them - even less so at high speed - except of course to avoid an accident, which remains the absolute priority.

As the construction of roundabouts tends to become more widespread, it is worth noting that within the European Union, the principle of giving priority to vehicles already in the roundabout is applied fairly widely, even if there are certain differences in signage. In France, for example, priority to the right has long prevailed at roundabouts.

However, for several decades now, as in Switzerland, the general rule has been that drivers entering a roundabout must give way to vehicles already there. However, some older roundabouts still apply right priority, which can cause confusion. One of the most famous examples is the Carrefour de l'Étoile in Paris, while the Rive roundabout in Geneva is no longer on the list of exceptions that it was for so long...