Madam, - In his very interesting piece in last Wednesday's Motors supplement, David Labanyi gave us an update on the levels of motoring offences being punished, particularly with penalty points.
The one that caught my eye was that relating to roundabouts. Mr Labanyi reported: "24 drivers have been awarded [ penalty] points for turning right on to a roundabout and all but six of these held an Irish licence, suggesting some Irish motorists find roundabouts confusing".
Of course they do. And many also find them infuriating because of the procedures followed, with official sanction. As the average driver approaches a roundabout at which they intend to take a right turn, they put on their right indicator and then enter the roundabout - by turning left!
This manoeuvre usually has the effect of cancelling their right indicator, which they then turn back on after they realise this.
In my humble opinion, the correct procedure should be for right-turning drivers to approach a roundabout in the right-hand lane, without giving any signal - after all, they are merely following the line of the road. When they have entered the roundabout, they then indicate right, switching it to left as they pass the turn-off before the one they intend to take.
If drivers were encouraged to follow this simple logic, it would lead to a reduction in frustration, traffic accidents and penalty points. - Yours, etc,
JOHN NEWMAN,
Glasnevin Avenue,
Dublin 11.