Design
The Other Side of Roundabouts: More Crashes
Traffic circles are great at preventing fatal wrecks. But what can be done about the crashes they do provoke?
Roundabouts are easy to love. They’re elegant in design, reduce traffic deaths compared to traditional intersections, and can support some gnarly public art.
But Americans hate them anyway, and one reason may be becoming clearer: While roundabouts are great at preventing serious crashes, they may bring on more non-fatal wrecks, to believe the latest in traffic-circle research coming from the fecund roundabout reserve of Wisconsin.