Junctions
Taking the second exit on a multi-lane roundabout
A second exit isn't automatically a no-signal exit - where it actually sits decides that, and on a multi-lane roundabout it decides which lane you need to be in as well.
This video has no narration. Follow the written steps below.
Practical test
Why it matters
Examiners are watching whether your signal and lane match where the exit really is, and whether you hold that lane cleanly through the roundabout rather than correcting late.
What to look out for
Read the exit's position, not its number
Roughly straight ahead is an intermediate exit - no approach signal. Past 12 o'clock is an exit to the right - signal right and approach in the right-hand lane. A second exit can be either, depending on the layout.
The lane you choose is the manoeuvre
On a multi-lane roundabout, getting into the right lane early and holding it does most of the work - a wrong lane can't be fixed by steering harder once you're on the roundabout.
Key steps
- 1 Decide on your exit early, then check where it actually sits: roughly straight ahead is an intermediate exit, past 12 o'clock is a right turn - that's what sets your lane and signal, not the fact that it's the second one.
- 2 Read the signs and lane markings in good time so you're settled into the correct lane before you arrive - normally the left-hand lane for a straight-ahead exit, but always check the markings rather than assume.
- 3 If it's an intermediate exit, don't signal on the approach; if it's a right turn, signal right and take the right-hand lane, unless signs or markings say otherwise.
- 4 Check mirrors, give priority to traffic already on the roundabout from your right, and only enter once there's a genuinely safe gap.
- 5 Hold your lane throughout - look ahead through the roundabout rather than steering late - then signal left once you've passed the exit before yours and leave without cutting across another vehicle.
Common mistakes
Assuming a second exit never needs an approach signal
The exit's number doesn't set the signal - its direction does. A second exit that sits past 12 o'clock is a right turn and needs a right signal on approach the same as any other.
Choosing the lane too late
Use the road signs and lane arrows earlier so your approach is settled before you reach the roundabout, not while you're already on it.
Drifting or changing lanes on the way round
Let your lane's shape guide the car through the roundabout, rather than correcting or cutting across at the exit itself.
Highway Code
This lesson is a revision aid, not a replacement for The Highway Code.
Rule 184
On approach, use Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre at all stages, decide as early as possible which exit you need, give an appropriate signal (see Rule 186), and time your signals so as not to confuse other road users.
Read Rule 184 on GOV.UKRule 185
Give priority to traffic approaching from your right, unless directed otherwise by signs, road markings or traffic lights.
Read Rule 185 on GOV.UKRule 186
Unless signs or markings indicate otherwise, choose your lane and signal by your exit: first exit - signal left and approach in the left lane; going ahead - no signal on approach, then signal left after the exit before yours; right or full circle - signal right and approach in the right lane, then signal left after the exit before yours.
Read Rule 186 on GOV.UKMore in Multi-lane roundabouts
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