Road safety. All about roundabouts and tips to stay safe

If you plan on driving while on holiday abroad, you will first, of course, need to organise your Travel and Car insurance with Budget Direct Insurance. Then, you may want to think about is brushing up on your roundabout skills.

Roundabouts are far more common abroad than they are now in Singapore, especially in Europe. Over the last twenty years, many roundabouts on the Little Red Dot have disappeared altogether.

This humble traffic solution, also known as a circus, was once a common feature of the road network in Singapore, many of them beautifully maintained with elegant fountains, like the one at Tanglin Circus.

Roundabouts a safety issue for Singaporeans

Their decline has led to many Singapore drivers making mistakes such as using the wrong lane and not signalling correctly. Professor Chin Hoong Chor, from the National University of Singapore, is an internationally-recognized safety expert.

According to Professor Chin*, who has written a doctorate on roundabouts, there are eight traffic circuses registered with the LTA in Singapore, although this list only covers roundabouts or circuses that have official names.

Professor Chin estimates there are actually around 50 roundabouts left in Singapore. He laments their demise, claiming they are one of the safest forms of traffic control; forcing drivers to slow down on their approach and making motorists more gracious as they are forced to co-operate and let traffic in.

Newton Circus

One roundabout most of us can name is Newton Circus, maybe because you take your life in your hands when using it! Built in 1933 with eight roads feeding into it, traffic lights were later added to better manage the flow. Can you name any other roundabouts in Singapore?

If you are planning to drive abroad or you’ve just moved to an area where a roundabout still exists, you may want to brush up on your roundabout skills here.

Roundabout quick quiz!

Which country has the most roundabouts in the world?
Better know as a popular landmark in London, where is Singapore’s own Piccadilly Circus?
Which is considered the first roundabout in the world?
Where is the worst accident spot in Tasmania, Australia?

Answers

France has half the world’s roundabouts, although the UK has more as a proportion of kilometres of road.
In the area of the former Seletar Camp.
Generally considered to be the Place de l'Étoile around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris built in 1907, although circular junctions existed before this.
You guessed it, on a roundabout! Built in 1960 The Railway Roundabout in Hobart is considered the worst accident spot in the whole of Australia. Strangely it was voted the Most Beautiful Roundabout in the World, by the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society (yes there is one!).
And if all this talk of roundabouts makes you feel nostalgic out check out this website showing some of the world’s most weird and wonderful!