Pennsylvania driving lesson · Turns, Intersections and Highways
Roundabouts, jughandles and divided highways
A 3-minute lesson from the Pennsylvania course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Some intersections don't look like a simple crossroads. Roundabouts send everyone counterclockwise, jughandles replace direct left turns, and divided highways are really two one-way roads. Each has its own rules for who yields and where to turn.
Know the rule
In roundabouts and traffic circles, traffic moves counterclockwise, so every turn into and out of the circle is a right turn. This eliminates head-on, left-turn and right-angle crashes.
Bicyclists may act as a vehicle or a pedestrian in a roundabout. Never overtake a bicyclist acting as a vehicle. Yield to pedestrians when entering and exiting.
On divided roads with NO LEFT TURN or ALL TURNS FROM RIGHT LANE signs, a right-side lane curves back to meet the main road at a light, where you then turn left.
To turn left onto a divided highway, cross the first roadway when traffic from the left leaves a safe gap, then turn left beyond the barrier when traffic from the right on the second roadway is clear. Turning left too early means a head-on crash.
DO NOT ENTER, WRONG WAY and ONE WAY signs appear together where roads meet divided highways. A right turn onto a divided highway is like any other right turn.
A car is circling toward you as you reach the roundabout's yield line. Let it pass; it has the right-of-way. Enter when there's a gap, go counterclockwise, and signal right as you approach your exit.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
Who has the right-of-way when entering a roundabout?
Vehicles entering from the right
Vehicles already circulating in the roundabout
Whichever vehicle arrives first
Vehicles entering have priority over circulating traffic
Answer: Vehicles already circulating in the roundabout
Circulating traffic inside a roundabout always has the right-of-way over entering vehicles.
