North Dakotans Can’t Seem to Master Two Simple Roundabout Rules

Roundabouts: They really aren't that difficult to navigate.

Bismarck Mandan has its fair share of roundabouts now, and it's a pretty good bet that more and more roundabouts will be coming.   I can't help but chuckle a little bit.  Why?  Well, the majority of you are still doing it wrong.

Yep, there are TWO essential things you are forgetting to do while driving through one of the several roundabouts we have in Bismarck, Mandan, and Lincoln.  Any idea what they are?

Of course not, because so few people are actually doing it.  In fact, some law enforcement officers I see going through roundabouts forget to do it. However, they can and will pull you over for not doing one of these.

In fact, I see the Lincoln police pulling cars over for not doing one of these two things I'm about to tell you about EVERY DAY!  Again, what could it be?

Rule #1: Signal when EXITING a roundabout.

I spoke with the former Chief of Police in Lincoln, North Dakota, a while back,  to get the skinny on the subject.  According to the North Dakota Century Code 39-10-38, you must SIGNAL when leaving a roundabout.

Yet, nobody does it? In case you're not familiar with North Dakota Century Code 39-10-38, it basically says that if you're going to move right or left, you must signal.

This could land you a ticket for failing to signal when changing lanes. Even if the officer decides to give you a warning, it's still a good way to get pulled over.

Here are the two main reasons you should be signalling when exiting a roundabout.

The person who is waiting to enter the roundabout to your left will know it's safe to enter the roundabout if they can see you exiting. It's really that simple. Plus, it keeps traffic moving and people safe.

Rule #2: Do NOT signal when ENTERING a roundabout.

You look silly. Everybody and their grandmother knows you are entering the roundabout; there's no need to signal. Plus, you are not changing lanes yet, thus, no reason to signal. Total rookie "drivers ed" mistake. I still see people doing this just about every day.

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I actually was behind a person the other day entering a roundabout who signaled LEFT???  WTH?  First off, again, you don't signal when entering a roundabout, and you certainly don't signal left.  Again, head shake.  This really is ridiculously easy to understand.  You signal when you EXIT.  That's it!

Want VIDEO proof of people doing it wrong at roundabouts?

I made a pit stop by the roundabout off Lincoln Road to see how many people actually signaled when exiting.  As expected in my brief experiment, only ONE person did.  One out of seven, to be exact.

By the way, I see Lincoln Police pulling people over at that roundabout all the time.  Pretty good bet, it's for not signaling some of the time.  Here's the (VIDEO).

I also spoke with a lady named Amanda, who works at the Department of Transportation, and she confirmed that not signaling when exiting a roundabout falls within the North Dakota Century Code.

It's even in the driver's manual. Amanda also lives in Lincoln and has noticed the lack of blinkers when exiting roundabouts.

She mentioned that she's even observed officers from the Highway Patrol and the Sheriff's department not using their blinkers in roundabouts.  Citizen's arrest anybody?

So, now you've been warned once again.  Use that blinker in the roundabout when you exit.  It might just save you a big hassle someday.