Newsweek reports on the proliferation of roundabouts in America:
Round-abouts, the circular alternatives to stoplights, are common abroad, where they eliminate one of driving’s most dangerous moves—the left turn against oncoming traffic—and can reduce fatal accidents by as much as 90 percent.
Fortunately, the U.S. is also starting to think inside the circle. Maryland, Missouri, and Georgia have built dozens of roundabouts in recent years, and hundreds more are in the works nationwide. But Carmel, Ind., is leading the nation, having built about 60 since 2001. For a city that claims “one of the country’s first automatic stop-and-go traffic signals,” it’s saying something that the lights are now being torn down. The benefits, however, may say something more: in the revamped intersections, there has been an 80 percent drop in crashes involving injuries.
