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Turning right on big roundabouts
Some people think that the hardest part about learning to drive is the reversing exercises. This is a myth. The hardest thing to do when driving safely is turning right on big roundabouts.
How often have you been cut up by someone overtaking you on the inside as you try to leave the roundabout? Or your instructor has had to intervene because you started moving over to the left to exit the roundabout and didn't spot the BMW in your left blindspot? Key word here, blindspot. You may have checked your mirror but not over your shoulder.
On most big roundabouts there will be more than one lane on approach. You as a learner driver must select the correct lane on approach and then start to safely move across to the left halfway around the roundabout to ensure you leave in the left hand lane, unless your next move is to turn right. Local road users, and especially impatient ones (including fire engines on route to a "shout") will often use the most "convenient" lane to turn right which might not be the correct one, they might make up their own rules as to what is the correct lane to select. Which might mean they are already in the left hand lane that you are about to move over into.
It is YOUR job to check your left mirror and blindspot before you begin to move over to the left to exit the roundabout. You must assess whether or not it is safe to move over or whether you should remain to the right and exit to the left when it is safe to do so.
Have you ever tried to turn right at a roundabout and found a driver from the left entering the roundabout in front or just behind you, blocking your move to the left? Maybe you stuck to the inside of the roundabout for too long and they assumed you were going right around to the next exit? So to avoid this, take a straighter route, keeping a little bit more to the left if this is safe to do so, and don't "hug" the inside of the roundabout. Take a more "hooked" route - your instructor will help you with this.
It's all about planning and positioning, don't leave it until your exit is looming, plan your exit as you enter the roundabout.
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