4.3 Roundabouts, Turning & U-Turns

Roundabouts, Turning & U-Turns

Roundabouts are everywhere on Ghana's urban and regional road network — from the big gyratories in Accra to small painted circles at district junctions — and the DVLA theory test always includes them. The rules hinge on one anchor fact: you yield to traffic already circulating in the roundabout, and that traffic approaches from your LEFT, because Ghana drives on the right.

The Golden Rule of Roundabouts

On the approach to every roundabout you face a Give Way requirement, usually reinforced by an inverted-triangle sign and dashed yield markings. You must give priority to any vehicle already on the roundabout. Because vehicles circulate in a single consistent direction (anticlockwise as you face the circle, keeping the central island on your left as you travel round), the circulating traffic reaches your entry point from your left-hand side. Look left first, then judge the gap.

Key implications:

• Traffic on your left already in the circle goes first. Enter only into a gap that does not make a circulating driver brake or swerve.
• A vehicle still approaching the roundabout on another arm has no priority over one already circulating.
• Large vehicles (trucks, buses, fuel tankers) may need to straddle lanes to get round; give them room and never position yourself beside one inside the circle.

Approach Speed and Lane Choice

Slow down well before the roundabout — fast approaches cause most roundabout crashes. Reduce to a speed at which you can stop at the give-way line if the gap closes, typically a crawl to about 20 km/h in urban conditions, in a low gear, ready to go or stop.

On a two-lane approach, choose your lane by your intended exit, and do it before you enter:

Remember that "turning right" at a roundabout in right-hand traffic means taking an early exit, while "turning left" means travelling more than halfway round the circle. Once circulating, hold your lane; do not cut across another lane to reach your exit.

Signalling In and Out

Signalling at roundabouts has two moments:

1. On approach: signal in the direction of your intended path (right for an early exit, left if going more than halfway). No signal is needed for the straight-ahead exit until you leave.
2. On exit: always signal to leave the roundabout — signal right as you pass the exit immediately before yours — so waiting drivers and pedestrians know you are coming off. Failing to signal the exit is one of the commonest faults examiners and theory questions target.

Mini-Roundabouts

A mini-roundabout is a small painted or slightly raised circle, common on residential roads. Exactly the same priority rule applies: yield to circulating traffic from your left. Additional points: you may drive over the painted circle if your vehicle is too long to go round it (large vehicles often must), but you should keep off it where possible; and you must still signal your exit even though the whole manoeuvre takes seconds. Never swing wide or cut the corner across the oncoming approach lane to "straighten" a mini-roundabout.

The Correct Turning Procedure: Mirror–Signal–Position

Every turn, at a roundabout or a plain junction, follows the same drill — mirror, signal, position:

1. Mirror: check interior and door mirrors to see what is behind and beside you, including motorcycles filtering through traffic.
2. Signal: indicate your intention in good time — early enough to warn others, not so early that it misleads (for example, signalling before an earlier junction).
3. Position: take up the correct road position. For a right turn (the easy turn in Ghana, staying on your own side), keep right and near the right edge of your lane. For a left turn across traffic, position close to the centre line without crossing it, and wait with wheels pointing straight ahead.

Then give way as required, check once more for pedestrians and motorcycles, and complete the turn into the correct lane of the new road — rightmost lane first when turning right, and never "wide" into a far lane unless markings direct it.

Left Turns Across Traffic

In right-hand-traffic Ghana, the left turn is the manoeuvre that crosses the oncoming flow, so you must yield to all oncoming vehicles proceeding straight and to any pedestrians on the crossing of the road you enter. Wait behind the conflict point, wheels straight, and turn only into a genuine gap. If an oncoming driver is also turning left, follow the road markings and confirm both paths are clear before committing.

U-Turns

A U-turn reverses your direction using the road you are on. It is permitted only where all three conditions hold: it is legal (no no-U-turn sign or solid line forbids it), it is visible (other drivers in both directions can see you clearly for a good distance), and it is safe (the road is wide enough and traffic light enough to complete it in one movement without blocking anyone). U-turns are prohibited:

• Near the crest of a hill or on or near a bend, where approaching drivers cannot see you.
• At or near junctions and roundabouts approaches, unless a dedicated, signed U-turn bay is provided (as on some dual carriageways).
• On one-way streets, across a solid centre line, or anywhere a no-U-turn sign is posted.
• On motorways and high-speed highways except at designated crossover points.

Before a U-turn: mirror, signal, check for traffic in both directions, then turn briskly in one smooth movement, finishing in the correct right-hand lane.

The Three-Point Turn (Turn in the Road)

Where the road is too narrow for a single-sweep U-turn, the alternative is the three-point turn (turn in the road): pull to the right edge, check mirrors and blind spots, then steer full lock across the road, reverse back with opposite lock, and drive off forward — completing the manoeuvre in as few movements as possible while continuously checking for other road users. Choose a quiet, straight, wide stretch away from junctions, crests, and bends; you must yield to every other vehicle throughout, because you are the one obstructing the road.