How roundabouts improve road safety
Indiana Carmel State Sends Loop Drivers — By Design.
The city has 142 roundabouts, more than any other city in the country. Mayor James Brainard said it would make communities safer and greener.
CBS News drove through several roundabouts with Brainerd, pointing out why he prefers roundabouts to intersections with traffic lights.
"Two cars are passing through this intersection," he said as he navigated through a standard intersection. . "A roundabout would have passed 30 cars in the same amount of time." There will be only one left.
"There is no need to pave paradise," said Brainard. "We can keep the roads narrower. It's better for the environment. It's better for pedestrians."
Roundabouts keep traffic flowing. but also reduces traffic. Less traffic makes roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Roundabouts do not require electricity, so they continue to function in the event of a power outage or inclement weather when traditional signalized intersections lose power. The
driver had a bit of a learning curve, but Carmel was able to get rid of lanes even though the population had grown to more than four times his size.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safetyfound that Carmel's switch to roundabouts reduced injuries in the city by nearly half. An 84% reduction was seen at busy intersections such as highway exits.
“As traffic casualties continue to rise in the United States, we must use every tool in our toolbox. It's one of the tools I've seen, and it works," said Jessica Cicchino, vice president of research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The
environment also benefits. Carmel's roundabout removes the equivalent of 5,000 cars of carbon dioxide by eliminating idling at traffic lights, saving city drivers an estimated $14 million in gas annually, says a former city engineer. He says Michael McBride.
"The story of roundabouts saving lives. If the world accepted that, there would be roundabouts everywhere," said McBride.
There are approximately 7,900 roundabouts nationwide. New York and Virginia are now requesting consideration as alternatives.
Chris Van Cleave is a Congressional Correspondent for CBS News, based in Washington, D.C.
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