How to Drive an Ontario Roundabout, Step by Step

Roundabouts make a lot of new Ontario drivers nervous, and it is easy to see why. Traffic moves without stopping, and it feels like you have to make a decision at speed. In reality a roundabout follows one simple rule from start to finish: yield to traffic already in the circle, then keep moving. Here is how to drive one, step by step.

1. Slow down on approach

As you come up to a roundabout, ease off the accelerator and read the signs and lane markings. If there are multiple lanes, the markings tell you which lane you need for your exit, so choose it before you get there rather than switching inside the circle.

2. Yield to traffic in the circle

At the entrance, yield to any vehicle already going around the roundabout. Traffic in a roundabout moves counter-clockwise, so look to your left for the gap. You do not have to stop if the way is clear, but you must be ready to. Never force your way in.

3. Enter when there is a safe gap

When you see a real gap, not a hopeful one, enter and keep a steady speed. Once you are in, you have the right of way over cars waiting to enter, so do not stop in the circle unless you have to. Stopping inside a roundabout is what causes most of the confusion and near-misses.

4. Stay in your lane and keep right

Follow the curve of the circle and stay in your lane. In a multi-lane roundabout, use the right lane for the first exits and the left lane for exits further around, as the signs direct. Do not change lanes inside the roundabout.

5. Signal and exit

Signal right just before the exit you want, so drivers behind and waiting to enter know your plan. Exit smoothly, watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk on the way out, and you are through. If you miss your exit, do not panic or reverse. Just go around again and take it the next time.

Watch for cyclists and pedestrians

Roundabouts have crosswalks at the entrances and exits, and cyclists may be riding through the circle with traffic. Keep your speed low, check for people on foot before you enter and before you exit, and give cyclists room. Low speed is what makes roundabouts safer than regular intersections, so keep it that way.

The takeaway

Strip away the nerves and a roundabout is just: slow down, yield to the circle, enter on a gap, keep moving, signal, exit. Do that and they are genuinely easier and safer than a four-way stop. Roundabout questions show up on the G1, so if you want to drill them with the actual signs, FreeG1’s traffic signs trainer and free practice questions cover it.

Keep reading: the right-of-way rules and how four-way stops work.

Based on the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook. Last reviewed July 2026.