- Utah may drop little-known rule about signaling in roundabouts.
- Drivers and even lawmakers were confused by the requirement.
- Supporters say the rule is unclear and poorly aligned with use.
If you’ve driven through a roundabout in Utah without signalling, you’ve broken the law. Based on local reports, plenty of locals do that every day without ever knowing that they’re making a mistake.
Now, a lawmaker wants to fix the problem by getting rid of the law that requires signals in roundabouts. She points out that the practice doesn’t make any real sense.
Rethinking Roundabout Etiquette
Right now, when drivers go through a roundabout in Utah, they should signal going in and coming out, regardless of which exit they take. Rep. Ariel Defay (R-Kaysville) has introduced House Bill 128, a proposal that would remove that requirement. Judging by the reaction so far, she’s not alone in thinking the rule makes little sense.
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Defay tells KSL News that she only learned the law existed after a friend was pulled over for failing to signal while navigating a roundabout. That moment prompted a deeper look into Utah’s traffic code.
“She came to me and said, ‘Is this really a law? I don’t even know if it’s true.’ And, I looked into it. It was true,” she said.
What she found was Utah Code Section 41-6a-804, which broadly requires drivers to signal before turning, changing lanes, or otherwise moving left or right on a roadway. Technically, that includes roundabouts.
The problem, according to Defay, is that roundabouts don’t really behave like traditional intersections. There’s only one direction of travel when entering, making a signal functionally pointless. Exiting isn’t much better, as drivers are already focused on yielding, watching traffic, and tracking which of several exits they’re approaching.
Do Drivers Even Have Time to Signal?
“There are many exits while you’re going in a circle,” Defay said. “By the time you have signaled, you may be beyond one exit to another exit. It’s very confusing which exit you’re intending to leave from.”
Importantly, if her bill passes, it won’t rewrite the rules altogether. Drivers inside of two-lane roundabouts would still need to signal while inside them.
The bill received its first hearing before the House Transportation Committee on Friday, and Defay expects strong support from everyday drivers.
“I don’t know how law enforcement will feel about it, but I think from the general population it will be a very enthusiastic ‘Yes,’ for this legislation,” she told the news station.
How law enforcement will respond remains to be seen. The rule’s obscurity suggests it hasn’t exactly been a cornerstone of traffic enforcement.