Over the past few years I have written several articles on the benefits of roundabouts over traditional intersections with traffic signals and stop signs. With input from a January article in “The Villages Daily Sun” Florida newspaper, here is more information showing the safety features and other pluses of roundabouts.

Armed with mounting data touting the benefits of roundabouts, experts are persuading communities to do what The Villages and Carmel, Indiana, have already done — rely on geometry rather than just signs and traffic lights to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently. Carmel lays claim to “The Roundabout Capital of America — they have over 130 of them. The Villages is probably second with 45.” Here are four reasons why Carmel is so big on roundabouts.

1. Since the 1990s, Carmel has been replacing intersections with roundabouts because of their safety record, their compatibility with the environment and their ability to make navigation easier for pedestrians and bicyclists.

2. Since Carmel began constructing roundabouts to replace traffic signals and four-way stops, the number of collisions with injuries has dropped by about 80%.

3. Less time spent idling has led to significant gasoline savings. A study conducted by the city on 10 roundabouts found an annual average savings of 24,000 gallons, with one site saving about 47,000 gallons.

4. Carmel police studied the average cost of crash damages at four intersections in 2006. The average cost of damages for the two roundabouts was $3,000 and $3,500. For the two signalized intersections it was $7,335 and $13,561.

Roundabouts are safer because they have only eight “conflict points” compared to 32 for traditional intersections. Safety is the top factor. In roundabouts most collisions are fender benders versus T-bone or head-on crashes in traditional intersections.

Data from 12 intersections between 2012 and 2018 in The Villages, compiled by Lake Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization ­– six roundabouts and six signalized intersections — tell another powerful story.

In that six-year period, there were 538 total collisions at the six signalized intersections, resulting in 160 injuries and five fatalities. Two of those fatalities came from left-turn collisions, a scenario improbable in a roundabout.

Meanwhile, the six roundabout intersections reported 306 incidents with 49 injuries and a single fatality. An estimated $2.9 million in damages occurred at the six signalized intersections, while only $877,000 was documented at the six roundabout intersections, according to the information in The Villages Daily Sun.

Roundabouts can handle 30-50 % more traffic than other intersections, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures.

Like them or not, roundabouts are here to stay. In New York state, as in Florida, DOT engineers are mandated to consider a roundabout whenever there are new intersections or reconstruction of existing traditional intersections. Initially, some drivers may have a negative attitude toward roundabouts, probably because they aren’t sure how to navigate them. But attitudes tend to shift with familiarity, and once drivers have maneuvered a roundabout and become familiar with them, they learn to like them. Go roundabouts!