Do You Have To Signal When Entering An Iowa Roundabout?

Roundabouts seem to confuse a lot of folks so let's review a few rules of driving them.

We've all dreaded seeing roundabouts being built and especially driving them. Driving counterclockwise in a circle is a specific thing to roundabouts and it just appears that people aren't really sure how to drive them. A lot of us know you just turn right to enter it and stay in that counterclockwise direction until you need to exit the roundabout.

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With roundabouts, the 'yield' sign isn't optional. If there's traffic entering the roundabout at the sign before you, you have to stop. But do you have to flip on your right turn signal if it's obvious that's the way we're all going?

Turn Signals & Roundabouts In Iowa

I was taught it's a good idea to always use your blinker even when you don't think you may need it. There are enough people in the world that don't use their blinkers ever, so don't be another one. The Iowa DOT says you should use your turn signal when going into a roundabout and definitely use it when you're exiting.

Other roundabout-specific rules include, according to Iowa DOT: don't stop inside the roundabout, it's not like a four-way stop, drivers already in the roundabout have priority, and yield to traffic from the left.

A lot of this is stuff you likely learned in Driver's Ed, but roundabouts aren't as common as something like four-way stops, so it can be a good review for folks who don't drive them often. Defensive driving (and your blinker) is always your friend.