A new roundabout is being constructed where Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway and Montgomery Road meet, and while some people might be apprehensive about the new feature, Montgomery city officials wanted to show that they were so easy a kid could handle them.
"There's absolutely no chaos required... or expected," Matthew Vanderhorst, the community and information services director for the city of Montgomery, said.
To show this, city officials gathered 50 kids from across the area, and had them drive through simulated roadways in small, motorized cars, like Power Wheels.
"They've never driven through it before," Vanderhorst said. "So that creates some apprehension and worry.”
Vanderhorst said there are a few rules all drivers, even kids, should follow when dealing with roundabouts.
To get into a roundabout, slow down, yield to all traffic inside the roundabout already and treat it like a one-way intersection.
Upon entering a roundabout, Vanderhorst breaks down which lane a driver wants.
"You’ll want to stay in the right lane to turn right or go straight," Vanderhorst said. "The left lane is normally for going straight, turning left or performing a U-turn.”
Once inside the roundabout, Vanderhorst said changing lanes isn't a good idea, and you should try to avoid that at all costs. Drivers should also never stop for emergency vehicles inside a roundabout or try to pass a semi.
And those are the basic rules for roundabouts.
"Once people do it, it just becomes a part of how you drive," Vanderhorst said. "It’s just getting through that initial fear of what do I do when I come to a roundabout.”
