Carmel is famous for roundabouts. The city has been building them since the late 1990s and now counts more than 160, which it says is more than any other U.S. city. Roundabouts are designed to cut down on high-speed T-bone crashes, and they generally do. But they come with their own crashes, especially for drivers who don't use them every day.
Roundabout crashes we hear about
- Failure to yield on entry. Drivers entering must yield to traffic already circulating.
- Lane changes inside two-lane roundabouts. Choose your lane before entering, and stay in it to your exit.
- Crosswalks at the edges, where a driver watching traffic to the left misses a pedestrian or cyclist on the right.
- Rear-end crashes when the car ahead stops unexpectedly at the entry.
Other Carmel roads
- Keystone Parkway, rebuilt with roundabout interchanges at its cross streets
- US 31 on the city's west side
- The Monon Trail, where walkers and cyclists cross busy streets
- I-465 along Carmel's southern edge, where the Indiana State Police often respond
Who handles your crash
Usually the Carmel Police Department. On I-465, often the Indiana State Police.
Carmel tip
Roundabout crashes turn into he-said, she-said fast. Note which lane each car was in, where each entered and meant to exit, and photograph the lane markings and signs.
Related: Hamilton County · Fishers · Noblesville · Car accidents · Fees
Call (317) 780-8000.
Sources
- City of Carmel, roundabouts: www.carmel.in.gov/government/departments-services/engineering/roundabouts
- INDOT: www.in.gov/indot/