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Roundabout difficulties explored
Thu, 01 Dec 2005
A group of British researchers have developed a new formula for the ideal trajectory of a car travelling round a typical roundabout.
The team at the Mathematics and Statistics Department at the University of Surrey have devised complex formulae that underpin roundabout trajectories and manoeuvres, casting light on why they are so potentially hazardous.
With more than one in twelve UK car accidents occurring at a roundabout in the past three years, the average annual cost to motorists and insurers is more than £75 million. The research also found that a quarter of these occur while drivers are changing lanes.
In the report, Roundabout Trajectories and Intersections, Dr Anne Skeldon and researchers outline the formula for the "ideal" path round a roundabout. However, they also demonstrate that the "textbook" way of negotiating a roundabout becomes almost impossible in a situation where a number of cars are using a multi-lane roundabout at the same time.
Dr Skeldon said: "A driving instructor may show a learner how to approach, enter and leave a roundabout smoothly, but plotting the paths of multiple cars on a multi-lane roundabout makes it clear just how difficult negotiating roundabouts can be. There will be numerous points where the paths of different cars intersect - each of which is a potential accident point. In real life, this adds up to danger."
The research could be used to help drivers think more carefully about how they approach roundabouts in the future, helping them to avoid bumps that can have such a costly impact on their car insurance.
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