Roundabouts save lives and reduce crash severity, PennDOT says

A new study from PennDOT reveals roundabouts save lives and reduce the severity of a crash.

But for drivers, these roundabouts can be confusing.

“I gotta go that way, I got to go over there. Then I got to go over there because I have to go up that hill and I just don’t know which way to go,” said Joan Hovanek of Mt. Washington.

On her way from the cemetery, Hovanek maneuvered her way on the roundabout on Ewing Road in Moon Township.

It’s one of the roundabouts included in data collected by PennDOT.

The study shows fatalities, injuries and crashes decreased overall after the intersections at 39 locations throughout the state were replaced with roundabouts.

PennDOT says roundabouts are frequently installed at intersections with safety issues, but are commonly built to improve traffic flow or for other reasons such as traffic calming.

They also say roundabouts are not always the best option because of topography or proximity to other intersections.

PennDOT has a video to show drivers how to navigate a roundabout. You can watch it here.

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