A traffic mini circle and a roundabout are not the same thing!

A roundabout has a circular blue sign with white arrows, while a triangular red sign with black arrows indicate a mini circle.

If there is one thing that most drivers can agree on, it’s that it’s not easy driving in South Africa. There’s hardly a single day that goes by without seeing someone staring at you in hatred, or cursing you as they drive off recklessly.

Sticking to the rules of the road becomes harder the more time you spend driving. The shortfall is having so much confidence that you lose sight of the rules you are meant to follow.

This is why something as simple as a roundabout or mini circle can cause chaos, since the rules are never followed.

Think about what you should do the moment you get to a mini circle. Is it any different from a roundabout? Most people assume they are exactly the same, except that one is bigger than the other. This is not the case.

Let’s get back to the basics. A mini circle can be treated much like a four-way stop where the first come, first served rule applies. Mini circles usually have an asphalt island in the middle that a car can pass over. This is meant to aid heavier vehicles to pass over them if they cannot make the full turn.

The roundabout has a similar rule, except that there is no asphalt island in the centre, but an island made of bricks. This setup allows vehicles to move in a fluid clockwise motion to ease the traffic congestion at the stop.

One important way of making out which is which is by reading the signs both have. A roundabout has a circular blue sign with white arrows, compared with the triangular red sign with the black arrows that indicate a mini circle.

These facts were confirmed to The Citizen by the national chairperson of the Justice Project South Africa, Howard Dembovsky. He believes the confusion could be due to the legislation not implementing a proper understanding of how these signs work.

So, once people are equipped with the surprisingly simple rules, it is hoped it would bring about a broad understanding of this subject of circles.