Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Right of Way

You are approaching a roundabout that already has vehicles moving inside. What must you do?

  1. A.
    Enter first and let circling vehicles slow for you.
  2. B.
    Come to a complete stop until every vehicle has exited.
  3. C.
    Yield to vehicles already in the circle. Correct
  4. D.
    Enter in the outer lane, matching the speed of circling traffic.
The Why

The answer is "Yield to vehicles already in the circle."

A driver entering a roundabout must yield to drivers already in the circle and enter only when there is an adequate gap in circulating traffic. Choice B catches drivers falling back on a four-way-stop habit, treating the entry rule as an order to wait until the intersection empties rather than to wait for the next safe gap.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Enter first and let circling vehicles slow for you.

The entering driver is the one required to yield; circulating vehicles are not obligated to slow down for you at the yield line. This answer flips the yield direction by treating an entering driver as mainline traffic that circulating vehicles must accommodate.

B. Come to a complete stop until every vehicle has exited.

The manual has you yield at the yield line and enter when there is an adequate gap, not wait for the circle to empty. This answer applies the two-way-stop practice of waiting for every cross vehicle to pass, missing that the manual only requires an adequate gap.

D. Enter in the outer lane, matching the speed of circling traffic.

Matching speed does not satisfy the yield duty; you must first wait for an adequate gap in circulating traffic before entering. This answer borrows the freeway acceleration-lane rule of matching traffic speed instead of waiting for an adequate gap in the circle.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Right of Way in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Negotiating Intersections," p.48..

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