You are already inside a roundabout when an emergency vehicle with lights and siren approaches. What must you do?
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A.
Stop immediately in your lane
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B.
Exit the roundabout, then pull over Correct
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C.
Reverse out of the roundabout
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D.
Speed up to clear the roundabout in any direction
The answer is "Exit the roundabout, then pull over"
The manual tells drivers already inside a roundabout to exit first, then pull over to let the emergency vehicle pass. Option A is the trap for drivers who apply the standard pull-over-where-you-are rule from a straight road, which would leave the vehicle blocking the very lane the emergency vehicle needs to circulate through.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Stop immediately in your lane
Stopping inside the circulating lane blocks the emergency vehicle's path; the manual says exit first. This answer applies the straight-road habit of stopping wherever you are, which parks the driver directly in the path the emergency vehicle needs to circulate through.
C. Reverse out of the roundabout
Reversing into circulating traffic behind you is exactly what the roundabout's one-way flow is designed to prevent. This answer reaches for a backup maneuver drivers use in a dead-end, an option the roundabout's one-way flow rules out.
D. Speed up to clear the roundabout in any direction
You still follow the marked exit path; abandoning the circle through any gap is not permitted. This answer reads 'exit first' as license to leave through any gap, ignoring that the exit was already chosen by the lane you were in.
This question tests your knowledge of Right of Way in North Carolina. Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, "Chapter 4 - Your Driving, Roundabouts, Tips & Reminders," p.59..
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