Perth drivers blasted over roundabout confusion — Perth News
Perth news: drivers are being blasted for getting roundabout basics wrong, with complaints focused on giving way and indicator use. Under WA’s Road Traffic Code 2000, motorists must give way to any vehicle already in the roundabout.
The problem is repeated in the same two ways: some drivers treat every roundabout like a stop sign, and others still act as if the rule is to give way to the right. Perth local Jackson Flindell said poor education, particularly among older drivers, was fuelling the confusion.
Jackson Flindell on Perth roundabouts
Flindell said the issue goes beyond hesitation. He said roundabouts were not even a thing when some people started driving, and that many had not been educated about them.
“Roundabouts weren’t even a thing when some people started driving. They haven’t been educated — and that’s the truth,” Flindell said.
He said the original point of roundabouts was to keep traffic moving, but confusion now does the opposite. “Roundabouts were brought in to control flow but when people don’t know how to use them, it just makes it worse,” he said.
Indicators at Perth roundabouts
The biggest complaint is not just who gives way, but what drivers do with their indicators. Some indicate right while going straight through a roundabout. Others do not indicate when they exit.
Flindell described the result as a chain reaction at busy approaches. “They leave their indicator on while going around then exit — so you wait, miss your opportunity and traffic just piles up behind you,” he said.
That frustration showed up in online comments too. One frustrated commuter posted, “Why do Perth drivers treat every roundabout like a stop sign? If it’s clear — go,” while another wrote, “People still think you give way to the right. It’s not 1995.”
Perth drivers and daily delays
Databo, another online commenter, said the pattern had become hard to ignore. “This annoys me more than it should,” Databo wrote. “End up coming to a complete stop because someone is indicating to turn yet going straight through, and they usually don’t indicate on their exit of the roundabout just to top it off.”
Another comment put the same complaint more bluntly: “The worst is people indicating right but going straight. You’re basically lying to every other driver.” A separate post added, “Indicate when you exit. It’s not optional. You’re holding up everyone waiting.”
For Perth drivers, the practical rule is simple: give way to vehicles already in the roundabout, then use indicators properly when leaving. The complaints now center on how often that basic sequence is being missed on everyday roads.
