Safer roads

“This letter is in response to your recent contributor who sent the item ‘Why oh why?’ concerning bad driving on roundabouts” says Bill Malcolm of Kirkcaldy.

“When I passed my driving test in 1961, the Highway Code instructions were to indicate right when going straight ahead on roundabouts.

“In the 1980s when I was working in Aberdeen my passenger asked me why I was indicating right when I was going straight ahead. When I informed him that was what the Highway Code instructions were, he told me that was not correct – and he was right.

“The Highway Code had changed since I had passed my driving test, but no one had told me!

“Perhaps the drivers your reader is encountering should read the latest version of the Highway Code and make the roads a lot safer.”

And, on the same subject, Innes Duffus adds: “To my mind there is a simple way of remembering behaviour at traffic islands. Once you cross the dotted line you are on the main road. The only time you signal is if you are immediately turning left.

“Otherwise you do not signal until you are passing the turn-off before the one you are taking. Then and only then you signal that you are going left.”