[Arn_Thor]

I'd really like to know where this was or see some pictures of it. It's almost inconcievable that something designed like a roundabout would be more dangerous. It might indeed cause more accidents due to the kind of confusion you describe, but at the very least the angles and grading should lower speeds dramatically and result in fewer deadly accidents.

[bnralt]

It's set up like this - busy avenue with lanes (left to right) 1, 2, and 3 enter into roundabout with circles (inner to outer) A, B, and C. The problem is that half way around the circle, where the avenue continues, A, B, and C then have lines indicating that you can either continue on the circle or move in a perpendicular direction to the circle and exit back such like this A -> 1, B -> 2, and C -> 3. And that's what everyone does. The problem is If someone from C is going around the circle, they're going to t-bone anyone going A -> 1 or B -> 2, and there's no moment to prepare because A or B is going to be suddenly cutting in front of them.

Or to visualize it another way - if you can image those intersections where there are two right turn only lanes, and one lane to the left of them that's right turn or go straight. Now imagine if all three lanes were right turn or go straight, and everyone made right turns - but if someone in the far right lane is going straight, they're plowing into the cars turning in the other two lanes.

After years they eventually fixed it and made the two outer circle lanes right turn only, which is what they should have done at the beginning. But even there they screwed up, because there's a street that enters the circle right after the right turn only signs, so if someone is entering from that direction and isn't familiar with the circle it's possible for them to ram into the other cars.

[USiBqidmOOkAqRb]

PIT maneuver is not a T-bone. Even if you cut across a lane (from C to A) there won't be enough of lateral velocity to make it potentially deadly. That's one the of the major points of roundabouts.

[Clent]

I live in an area with many A, B, C as you call them. Assuming we're going backwards, where A is right most lane, with these three lane roundabouts it's always A can only turn right, C an only turn left, B is for going straight, but can also turn right or left.

There are variations on this, sometimes, B can only go straight so that C can also go straight. C can also be used for a fully controlled U-turn. In fact, C is has the markings such that one can just go around and around and around forever in if one chose to do so.

All of the roundabouts here have overhead signage leading up to them that indicates which lanes are for each direction of travel. There are also lines on the roads themselves have solid and dashed lines. Never cross solid lines, optionally cross dashes. We get snow so lines aren't always visible.

I've been through many different roundabouts countless times and there is occasionally someone that doesn't get it right but the traffic is moving slowly enough that it unusually only leads to honking.

One strategy is to watch the faces of other drivers, people will be looking in the direction they will be turning.