More than 100 roundabouts are now installed in Pennsylvania, with more than 30 under design or in construction.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced that roundabouts continue to provide safe, efficient travel across the Commonwealth. Since 2005,104 roundabouts have been built to improve traffic flow and/or decrease crash severity, and more than 30 additional roundabouts are in various stages of design and construction across Pennsylvania.
“For us, it’s simple. Roundabouts remove cross-traffic turns and eliminate T-bone crashes, while improving traffic flow,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Any design that dramatically reduces the most serious crashes we see on the road is worthy of consideration in our projects.”
PennDOT finalized a data review through 2024 using 20 years of crash data from roundabouts around the state. Study findings showed that crashes with injuries were reduced by 51 percent and total crashes decreased by 7 percent. Pennsylvania data reflects national studies that found changing two-way sign-controlled intersections to a single-lane roundabout reduced injury crashes by more than 80 percent. Likewise, changing a signalized intersection to single-lane or multilane roundabout reduced crashes with injuries by up to 78 percent.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) lists roundabouts as a “Proven Safety Countermeasure” that improves safety by reducing vehicle speeds by angling incoming traffic. The crashes that do occur tend to be sideswipe crashes with vehicles traveling at slower speeds rather than T-bone or head-on collisions. Additionally, eliminating left turns across opposing traffic results in dramatically fewer injuries.
In addition to safety improvement, roundabouts carry, on average, approximately 30 percent more vehicles during peak traffic than similar intersections. In off-peak hours, roundabouts cause almost no delay, compared to traffic signals.
As roundabouts are constructed around the state, it is important to know how to correctly navigate them.
Here are a few key things to remember when navigating a roundabout:
- Slow down and be prepared to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
- Circulating traffic has the right of way. Look left and check for approaching traffic. If there are multiple circulating lanes, yield to both before entering. Do not assume the vehicle in the inside lane will stay there.
- Do not stop while in the circulatory roadway, and always use your right turn signal to indicate your exit.
More on roundabouts in Pennsylvania, including videos on navigating the intersections, how to use a truck apron and notable projects in the state can be found on the PennDOT Roundabout web page.Information about state infrastructure in Pennsylvania, including completed work and significant projects, is available online. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Zachary Appleby, zappleby@pa.gov or 717-409-3840
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