While living in France, I read a piece which claimed that roundabouts were safer in part because individuals perceive them as more dangerous (than lights, etc.)

While living in France, I read a piece which claimed that roundabouts were safer in part because individuals perceive them as more dangerous (than lights, etc.). This leads people to pay more attention and be more careful when faced with a roundabout, which in turn leads to safer driving generally. If this psychological observation is correct, then what scares us about switching to roundabouts in the U.S. might be exactly what will make it safer to adopt them. Also, Slate had a piece on roundabouts and safety with the following quote: "Mentioning roundabouts seems to invoke some form of the famous "availability bias," which leads people make judgments based on the memories that can be brought most easily to mind. And so, the American who may have driven as a tourist in France or Greece a number of years back will shudder with recognition, associating the roundabout with terror and near misses. But motorists with such memories often fail to consider that they were driving as tourists in unfamiliar climes, perhaps only for a few days." http://www.slate.com/id/2223035/ http://www.slate.com/id/2223035/ --- As a side note, there is something ironic about the pro-American / anti-Europe arguments that inevitably surrounds the roundabout discussion. It feels to me like roundabouts are much more American, following the libertarian strand running deep in this country. Round-about = gov't no longer tell you when you may (green) or may not go (red). Instead, it forces you to trust in yourself and your fellow citizens.