Practice question

How do roundabouts improve safety relative to traditional intersections?

  1. By reducing speeds and conflict points, leading to fewer and less severe crashes.
  2. By increasing speeds and conflict points, leading to more crashes.
  3. By adding more signaling phases to coordinate traffic.
  4. By eliminating pedestrian crossing entirely.

Answer: B — By increasing speeds and conflict points, leading to more crashes.

Roundabouts boost safety mainly by lowering speeds and cutting the number and complexity of crash-prone interactions. When you approach a roundabout, you must yield to traffic already circulating, which naturally slows you down. Inside the circle, traffic moves in one direction, so there are no opposing left-turn or head-on clashes. This combination means fewer opportunities for crashes and, when incidents do occur, they happen at much lower speeds and with less severe outcomes. Pedestrian crossings are typically shorter with a protected SAMPLErefuge, further reducing risk. So the safety improvement comes from slower speeds and fewer, simpler conflict points.

Practice more: ITE Traffic Bowl Fundamentals and Engineering Practice Test →