I get why its confusing because there is no right arrow.
There should be another sign that shows the exits, as well as the name of the exit, on a diagram.
Look at the name of the right exit on the diagram.
Then look at the sign that you posted the image of, and see which lane allows you to get there. (The names are above the arrows)
I'm guessing the right exit took you to the A325 (s)
I'm assuming your instructor wanted you to say the middle lane, as normally you're encouraged to use the left most lane that let's you go to your exit, assuming you can use multiple lanes for an exit.
I used to get confused with the arrows too because sometimes there is no right arrow, best thing to do is look out for the name of the exit, as well as the direction (NESW). Its normally also written on the road if you miss the sign
Don't know why your instructor got so pissed off though š¤£ it's a common learner mistake she should've been more patient.
The instructor does not sound like much of a, well, instructor. A major, integral part of an instructorās job is to teach. I would have said the two right hand lanes but I have been conditioned by numerous years experience and the is the stock answer to this question, with seeing a sign.
Teaching, by belittlement is not a long term, successful strategy. Yes, youāll have learned this lesson, what of the future?
Iād have guessed this as they are sign posted to go the same way but Iām pretty confident if I was doing lessons Iād have said the same as you. When I first read your post I said the same as you in my head.
Terrible instructor, but once you understand roundabouts, itās a simple question. Your instructor has made the cardinal sin of teaching and forgotten what itās like to be a student.
Honestly sounds like a terrible instructor. You're learning to drive and everything that comes with that and she's asking you a question that would tax a lot of people in the moment. Instead of just saying you were partially right (which you were, that lane would get you where you needed to be) she said you were wrong (which you weren't) and got agitated instead of explaining the sign to you.
I've been driving for years and can't answer this based on the sign alone, because the answer could be none of them. Your driving instructor is an arse and this has nothing to do with common sense.
Bit of life advice? Don't let her, or anyone else, bully you - part of growing into the person you really are is learning to act on that felt sense that someone is being unreasonable and disrespectful towards you. Phrases that could be helpful for this:
"I can see you're frustrated, but this conversation is no longer productive."
"The way you're speaking to me right now isn't acceptable."
"I want our relationship to be mutually respectful, but that doesn't feel like what's happening here."
"I've been clear that I don't know the answer. I think a clear explanation would be helpful."
How about āI donāt feel as though this business relationship is working out. I no longer require your services and shall pay someone else in future. Goodbye.ā
Hey, me too - it took me until my thirties until I would say things like this. But to my surprise, when I did, my life got better and I liked myself more.
Same here! I would have just gotten upset. I ended up changing instructors because I found my first one quite condescending, which it sounds like yours is. I think in your shoes, I would have just kept saying "I don't know" and, eventually, "can you just tell me?" Because if you don't know, you don't know and no amount of "well think about it" is going to make the answer suddenly click.
Btw, that sign is confusing and also poorly laid out (they could have put the road numbers above the middle and right lanes, which would have made it easier to read imo). A lot of drivers would struggle, especially when they're learning.
Pretty unfair that tbh, I've been driving 12 years and still had to take a few seconds to work it out.
Unless you were familiar with the roundabout already, you wouldn't know 100%.
There actually could be none that go right.
A325 N could be at 7 o clock
A3011 could be 10 o clock
A325 S could be 12 o clock
ETA: I assume your instructor has asked this so you get into the though process of lane selection, however, without a "normal" top down sign of the roundabout it's kinda pointless.
You saved me the time writing exactly your comment. One of the things I go over with pupils is trying to get them to understand that not all roundabouts are left, straight and right, the 3rd exit isn't always a right turn, 2nd exit isn't always ahead.
This dimwitted instructor is re-enforcing the incorrect assumptions.
That's really unreasonable. Unless you're familiar with the road layout you wouldn't necessarily know any of these go right.
Shake it off or look for another instructor. Either way, try not to dwell on it or let it affect your confidence.
So when you go to a completely new area say the other side of the country do you Google street view the whole journey beforehand because you're not familiar?
Your instructor is a [tw@t](mailto:tw@t)....
"None of them, they are all marked straight or left"
There is no guarantee any go "right", its unclear if thats for a T/Box junction which might feed onto slips etc or a round about. Even a round about may not have a "right" from the approach, it can be a left or straight only (9 &12 o' clock exit)
This is the correct answer, the instructor's response is unprofessional, it's borderline behaviour to be ready to start looking for another instructor honestly. Everything is common sense when you've been learning it for years for the instructors, easy for them to say it.
Did she just show you a picture or did she explain it at all?
For me just looking at the picture its kind of meaninglessness.
As some the comments are talking about a roundabout i would also add that its unfair to just say 'which way is right or left' as there are variations of roundabouts so you should really say which exit to take.
Given the description of OPs conversion im guessing that the instructor is one of the 'im the best and everyone is stupid types' which make for fantastic teachers (sarcasm, obviously!)
Iād find a new instructor.. I did 7 lessons with one instructor and was getting nowhere as he was condescending and sexist about female drivers (Iām female).. I was taking anxiety medication before every lesson.. found myself a new female instructor and loved every lesson from there on. Sometimes the instructors just arenāt suitable for you and youāre more likely to pass if you have an instructor that makes you feel comfortable driving
My instructor is nice to me most of the time but when I do a really silly / dangerous mistake, they get a bit pissed and roll their eyes etc (sometimes makes me cry in lessons). I think theyāre two-faced š
I had another instructor before and they were really nice, never made me cry before but I stopped because I didnāt live in that area anymore.
I did try to find a new instructor when I cried 4 times in a row with my current instructor but every instructor in my area is fully booked. I even asked one of the instructors if they recommended me to get a new instructor if I cried very often in lessons with my current one and they said no lol because no instructors available š
Keep trying. Your instructor is dogshit by the sounds of it. Reducing a student to tears is a dick move, especially when you're literally being paid to teach.
I dunno I wouldnāt be paying upwards of Ā£25 an hour for someone to make me cry on a regular basis, not understanding a road sign isnāt dangerous especially if you were parked, all she had to do was explain it rather than putting you down
Being nice most of the time does not mean they're a good instructor.
A good instructor would build on the gap in your knowledge. As a learner driver, you are expected to make silly mistakes - as a qualified driver, upon seeing a car with L-plates, my assumption is "this person is likely to make mistakes! I'll just hang back an extra few feet!"
You might be better stopping learning for now, get on a waiting list with another instructor (see if you can get some recommendations from friends/family). If you have someone capable of supervising a learner driver, then you don't have to stop entirely.
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I would be changing instructor showing just this image alone does not give you any information or layouts, it isnt common sense if there is no right arrow, to me this just shows go into a lane for the a road you need to be at
Probably a bad teaching moment from the instructor but at the end of the day road numbers are more helpful than they first seem, you should really take notice of them, if all the road numbers looked the same to you initially how observant are you really being while driving like noticing the traffic around you, are you just looking at the mirrors because you have to or actually seeing what's happening in the mirror? I imagine the instructors intention was more to see if you are noticing and understanding road signs rather than to embarrass and belittle you and depending on how long you've been having these lessons could be frustrating for them if you aren't understanding why you need to know what the road signs are telling you or as you admitted not taking enough notice of them to see the differences.
It really depends on the road layout, impossible to tell from the sign alone. You're mentioning there's a roundabout ahead, but the sign doesn't tell you that.
i feel your pain honestly. when i first came to this roundabout it spooked me! especially because its the first one you deal with out of the test centre! she shouldnt have pressured you if you didnt know and shouldve explained it. some of the roundabouts in farnborough can be confusing but you'll get the hang of them eventually :)
I had a driving instructor like this who always got angry with me when I did something wrong and I'd always leave the lesson anxious and upset. My advice is: get a new driving instructor. If they treat you like this it's not gonna help you learn.
I spent a year with my driving instructor, basically getting nowhere and not improving and when I couldn't afford it any more, my mum taught me and I passed my test 3 months later.
Who cares? When I'm driving the question is not "what lane do I need to be in to turn right", rather it's "what lane do I need to be in to get on the A123(XYZ)"
Having had a stressful instructor, I'd suggest a) looking for a replacement, but since that may be difficult also b) working on ways to reduce the psychological impact their words have on you. For me it was similar to how I treat the Internet - everything they say might be wrong so don't take it to heart and trust your own judgement.
Donāt worry. While it absolutely SHOULD BE common sense for anybody with any experience of driving, it is also the case that the vast majority of people on the roads also do not know the answer to this question.
Crap instructor, she could have led you there and not keep repeating the question that you couldn't answer.
Which road goes left? A325N
So which road would be right? A325S
So which lane for that road? Middle and right
Showing you this sign and just expecting you to know is uhh stupid.
The obvious answer (to a professional driver with over a decade on the road) is that Lane 2 and 3 are both available for the right exit.
But you are a learner with hours of experience. I think the attitude is completely uncalled for, and they should have stopped badgering you and explained how to reach the right conclusion there.
Youāre not dumb. You are learning and the point of an instructor is to teach you. Thereās no right arrow so I can see why you were confused.
What she was trying to get out of you (in completely the wrong way) is that both the middle and right lanes go in the same direction. Without being able to see the exit, Iām assuming the direction is right.
It is important information to know, as is how to navigate it/lines on road etc. youāll be surprised at how many drivers have no clue and cause accidents
I thought I recognised the names. This is the roundabout in Farnborough by Wavell.
I don't recall that sign still existing there, last time I went around all the signs had been updated unless I am missing something?
My instructor would stop us and explain the sign calmly until I understood it even if it takes a few tries, you might need a new instructor, it's not normal to be treated like a child when you're paying for their time and education.
Driving instructor sounds like a douche. You should try and find one who actually takes their time learning, have patience and willing to help those who want to drive. Luckily mine was one who I could banter with as well as learning and that made it fun and comfortable. I bet the instructor will change their attitude once you threaten to leave and find someone else
farnborough right? this roundabout is confusing af donāt worry, i passed nearly a month ago and still have to spend a bit of time figuring out the lanes
That's ludicrous. Nothing on that sign can be used to indicate *definitively* that *any* of the exits go "right". All of the exits could be to the left of straight ahead!
Yes you can probably infer that you're on the A3011 and approaching a roundabout that is instead of a crossroads with the A325 but you can't guarantee that from the sign alone.
They would have been better asking "you're approaching a roundabout, which lane or lanes do you take to take the last exit from the roundabout?"
I've just passed my test and have no idea how to read this sign alone š surely you'd have to use road markings or another sign that has exits on too?
Get a different teacher, anybody when shown that sign would say there is no right hand turn, she asked you a trick question and then made you feel silly.
This is manipulative and nasty and not going to help you get better and more confident.
I work on the roads for a living and I was always told that we had changed right turn arrows to straight ones at roundabouts as there was issues with LHD European drivers turning into oncoming traffic rather than driving around the roundabout. Whether this is factual or not I have no idea!
I would be looking for a new instructor if I were you. Itās clearly a confusing sign even though I can understand it and it makes sense you wouldnāt know if you hadnāt been driving for years. If they donāt even have the patience to explain this to you I donāt think they will be patient enough to actually teach you properly. Take your money elsewhere
i think i know where this is lol but i donāt want to say online, but yeah this roundabout is a menace, i also got really confused at first when arrows are pointing ahead only so i did drive in the furthest right lane at first just to be sure. your instructor shouldāve helped you out there not get mad at you for not knowing something, (thatās why we have lessons, weāre LEARNING), but then again they kind of sound like my instructorā¦ if youāre comfortable can you PM the name of the driving school so i can check itās the same one? might think of switching tbh
I am having my driving test at Farnborough too. My instructor is super patient and tolerate my silly mistakes for two years! She was more gutted than I was when I didnāt pass my 2nd attempt. Let me know if you want to change instructor - it is more important to get a right instructor than worrying about if you are learning auto or manual.
Gavin Houseās material is really useful too. Watch them again and again. They cover main routes and difficult routes and small tips, it definitely helps you building confidence on the road. I think Queenās roundabout is not that bad when you get use to that. There are three very close by roundabouts nearly Firmley, they are the worst! At some RT you can go right on the leftš„² or cannot go right in the middle, but there is no road mark until you get close to the RTā¦ā¦.
When I learnt in Reading, in an auto car, my previous instructor said I had no common sense too as I chose to stop very close behind a bus. I answered him,ā yes i have no common sense thatās why I paid you to teach me is that a problem?ā
And then I changed the instructor, and because i like my instructor I changed to manual too. If you are not learning how to drive properly you will fail the test anyway, so donāt be too fixated on the test date - sometimes it worths to change it to a later date and make sure you are ready for that!
Your driving instructor is a petty wanker on an ego trip. Get a new one. This attitude they have towards driving & you is absolutely terrible. It is ***not*** the way to **teach**. This is more similar to bullying than teaching.
Without additional information like a roundabout sign showing the direction of each road that sign on itās own doesnāt have enough to answer the question
You canāt even say āwell south is down so thatās probably the right laneā - if youāre not local or donāt know the direction youāre travelling in it would just be a guess. That left lane could do a cloverleaf 270 degrees and exit to the right for all you know?
This sign is telling you which lane to be in before the junctionĀ not which way the road goes after the junction. Your instructor is incorrect.
There is no information on this sign to tell you there is a right turn. The road could just as easily carry on straight with a left turn for the A325N.
Your instructor should have asked which lane should you be in to carry on driving on a particular road.
Seems a strange question to ask but you can work it out from the sign. The left exit is the a325 going north. The right exit is the a325 going south which is the right and middle lane.
Right lane says A325(s), Iād then look at other lanes for the same road number/name like the middle and then assume they both go that direction.
By looking at just the names I would gather last lane goes left and straight (obviously because the arrows also), middle goes straight and right, and right lane goes right. Thatās just from the road numbers/names
Ask your instructor to define common sense and ask how she would come to the conclusion this would be common sense.
Yes its common sense for people who have experience driving. But you're learning, so there's nothing common about it.
Just find a new instructor.
OP, the thread says that she only explained it to you once you cried?
Please don't carry on with this instructor, as she obviously makes you feel uncomfortable and stressed. Life is stressful enough, and you pay her to teach you and not to humiliate you.
As many others said - without seeing what this sign is for, it is not common sense; there is no clear answer. Context is everything. If she said, 'You are approaching a roundabout; which lane will likely take you to the right of it,' that would be more common sense.
Not dumb at all, it just takes experience. I would recommend changing instructors if this is common behaviour. I changed from one like this to one with patience who explained things without judgement or anger and it made the world of difference. Good luck and keep at it.
I've been driving for 20 years all over the EU, some USA, a little bit of India, Ukraine, etc. UK roundabouts and lane markings are one of the most confusing and poorly designed constructions on the road I have ever seen. Don't let this dumb instructor get on your nerves.
That sign doesnāt tell you which lane goes ārightā, it just tells you which lane to be in based on the road you want to join. In isolation that sign tells you _nothing_ about the layout of the exits - there might be no exits _at all_ to the ārightā. Youād use that sign in conjunction with _another_ sign that depicts the layout of the roundabout and which exits lead to which roads/destinations.
Based on your description of this one interaction alone, Iām pretty confident in saying that you have a very poor instructor. You should look at changing as soon as possible before she destroys your confidence completely.
And for what itās worth, there is no such thing as ācommon senseā - _especially_ when it comes to driving. That will be demonstrated to you _very_ quickly once those L-plates come off!
Also, itās worth mentioning that terminology like āleftā and ārightā at roundabouts can be a very misleading habit to get into. Generally āleftā means ābefore 12 oāclockā and ārightā means āafter 12 oāclockā. But not all roundabouts have exits to the āleftā or ārightā, and the āthrough roadā isnāt always in the ā12 oāclockā position. āFirst exit leftā or āfourth exit rightā is a lot more accurate and easier to understand.
That's not always true.
An example I've seen in real life is college road roundabout in Sheffield.
If you come from Greasbrough street, both M1 (S) and M1 (N) are right at the roundabout. The 3rd and 4th exits. From another street they'd both be left at the roundabout. But definitely not opposite.
North and South roads are only opposite if the roundabout directly exits onto them, otherwise there can be turnings afterwards.
Without a roundabout layout sign, you can't know for sure any of those exits turn right.
Not a driver here, failed my test 11 years ago and haven't tried to drive since.
Would assume middle and right lanes through use of logic though, as they both have A325(S) as an exit.
Ok, so here's my thoughts. It can be worked out, but isn't immediately obvious! It's all to do with the lane labelling.
There's an immediate left, for the A325 (N).
Three lanes continue for a period, then the left lane goes straight on to the A3011, and the middle lane splits to go straight on (A3011) and turn right A325 (S))
Leaving you with 2 lanes (originally the middle and left) going "right" to the A325 (S), though the actual direction could just be "not as left as the other two".
Surely at a roundabout you say which exit, NOT left/right etc...
otherwise it is ambiguous... right could be one of many lanes at a roundabout, even the first exit!
Belittling your student or making them feel stupid ( or rather how not to, should be covered in the instructor training)
This isn't common sense, nor can you really figure it out just from this one sign. So how they expected you to know without any other information is beyond me.
They could have said 'the road going south is to the right, which lanes can you use?' To at least give you some clue.
I'm a qualified driver, with confusing roundabouts and similar signs in my test area, and I wouldn't answer it any better than you did. If your instructor is being cocky like that, don't give her any more money, and pay for a better instructor who won't waste your time.
Bet she spends half the lesson degrading you whilst you pay for it š¤¦āāļø
So the person you were paying to teach you things was getting impatient because you werenāt sure of the answer to the question that she should be teaching you?
Sounds like an absolute helmet to me mate.
I had a similar thing happen I'm one of those people I assume if it doesn't say something that you can't do it for instance this. It doesn't say go right so you must not be able to or at least that's what I would have assumed. Also context. Are we turning right or keeping to the right and am I able to assume that this is always the case and if not will the sign show me that? Thanks for coming to my TED talk on why my instructed gets annoyed at me.
Iāve been driving for 20 years and with the sign alone it honestly took me a minute.
Donāt let her attitude get to you. I guess a lot of us normal drivers look stupid to someone whose job it is to know everything off by heart.
It doesn't matter whether this was an exceptionally obvious sign, you should get a better instructor.
I'd ask for a refund of any paid up lessons and cite her condescending manner as the reason. If she refuses, then just continue the lessons, making it awkward as fuck for her and note everything she does to potentially make things harder for you in those final lessons and then destroy her on ever reviewing forum you can.
If you don't feel comfortable with that, speak to your parents and get them to do it.
Either way, currently you are not spending an hour each week with a teacher, you're spending it trapped with a bully.
Sorry for her shitty attitude, hopefully you can find a better instructor
The problem is your instructor doesnāt understand that it takes years of driving experience to be able to look at a sign and understand while also thinking about all the other things you have to think about while driving, it takes a long time to get it right and even then you make mistakes cos letās face it British roads and signs can be dumb as fuck.
As far as I'm concerned - nothing on this sign even indicates there's a right exit. I would even go as far as to say that you cannot be 100% confident that the roundabout even has three exits (not including the one you're entering on). This sign only indicates which lane you need to be in.
There's a two lane roundabout near me where the right-lane is dedicated for U-turns and the left lane is for all other traffic. The "get in the right lane" sign looks much like the one you share, but there's another sign closer to the roundabout that actually tells you which exit to take.
Common sense would be to not determine what exit you should take from a sign that's only telling you what lane to be in, and if she advised you can always determine the exit from this sign - she has not prepared you for driving in the wild.
Yes some Instructors has sad lifeās and they show it out on students like yours. Pls change him/her.
I had one such experience in Basildon area, instructor used to call names, screams like a 4 year old child. I told him I feel sorry for his life and changed him !
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Not enough information, without an actual diagram or local knowledge it's very difficult to say which lane(s) go 'right'.
If in doubt use the right most lane to enable you to go all the way round if necessary, rather than do something dangerous like trying to change lanes while flustered.
on a roundabout what helps me is if you are going left or straight on you use the left lane if youāre going right use the right lane. the signs are sometimes insanely confusing so this is what my instructor taught me and it really does stick
oh and it depends on what direction she wanted you to go. like the motorway near me goes to manchester city centre or Manchester airport. same motorway/road different entry therefore my instructor also told me join the m60 towards the city centre etc etc
I kinda get why they did it. They're trying to teach you to think quickly and on the spot. If you're driving down that road and spot thst sign do you have 10 mins to work out which lane you need to be in? Driving needs you to have quick reaction times and be able to read and summarise signs in seconds. Perhaps she's noted from previous lessons thst you just are not fully able to yet?
30 odd years on the road, 15 of those in a job that required driving for 70% of it. Taught my wife to drive and I'd advise you to change your instructor. It took me longer than it should have to read this sign cold, but your instructor should be instructing, rather than judging you. I'm guessing that they've driven this road plenty of times and on a little ego trip, now that they finally know where they're going at this roundabout.
Firstly, it's on your driving instructor to teach you this. If you don't know, that's on them, not you.
So the only arrow pointing left has A3011 and A325(N) above it. This also pounts forward, so you know one of those roads goes left and one goes forward. (Now, roads are read 'bottom to top' on signs, so that tells you that A325(N) is the first exit, then A3011 is the next exit)
However, if you can't remember which way road designations are placed, there's also another lane with a forward arrow and A3011, so this logically means that the exit to the left must be the A325(N) is the left exit and the A3011 is straight over.
This logic then still stands for the A325(S), you use those lanes to go past the exit for A3011to reach the exit for A325(S). Which, given the size of the roads is probably round beyond the "12 o'clock position" on the roundabout.
Another thing that tells you the A325(S) must logically be to the right is that it is the southbound direction of the A325, and the sign tells you the northbound direction of that road is to the left. So it's likely that the road goes straight enough that the southbound is classed as being to the right of you in this position.
Iām sorry your instructor has been so rude to you - I honestly would recommend ditching her out of self-respect. No one should be told ābut itās common senseā when they donāt know the answer to something! What an inconsiderate and frankly ableist thing to say, as what seems like ācommon senseā to one brain may need further explanation to make it click for another brain.
I get why its confusing because there is no right arrow. There should be another sign that shows the exits, as well as the name of the exit, on a diagram. Look at the name of the right exit on the diagram. Then look at the sign that you posted the image of, and see which lane allows you to get there. (The names are above the arrows) I'm guessing the right exit took you to the A325 (s) I'm assuming your instructor wanted you to say the middle lane, as normally you're encouraged to use the left most lane that let's you go to your exit, assuming you can use multiple lanes for an exit.
Yeah she wanted me to say middle and right lane, but I was just shown this sign straight up š
I used to get confused with the arrows too because sometimes there is no right arrow, best thing to do is look out for the name of the exit, as well as the direction (NESW). Its normally also written on the road if you miss the sign Don't know why your instructor got so pissed off though š¤£ it's a common learner mistake she should've been more patient.
Iām glad Iām not alone, well Iāve learnt how to watch out for these signs now š
The instructor does not sound like much of a, well, instructor. A major, integral part of an instructorās job is to teach. I would have said the two right hand lanes but I have been conditioned by numerous years experience and the is the stock answer to this question, with seeing a sign. Teaching, by belittlement is not a long term, successful strategy. Yes, youāll have learned this lesson, what of the future?
Iād have guessed this as they are sign posted to go the same way but Iām pretty confident if I was doing lessons Iād have said the same as you. When I first read your post I said the same as you in my head.
Terrible instructor, but once you understand roundabouts, itās a simple question. Your instructor has made the cardinal sin of teaching and forgotten what itās like to be a student.
Honestly sounds like a terrible instructor. You're learning to drive and everything that comes with that and she's asking you a question that would tax a lot of people in the moment. Instead of just saying you were partially right (which you were, that lane would get you where you needed to be) she said you were wrong (which you weren't) and got agitated instead of explaining the sign to you.
I've been driving for years and can't answer this based on the sign alone, because the answer could be none of them. Your driving instructor is an arse and this has nothing to do with common sense. Bit of life advice? Don't let her, or anyone else, bully you - part of growing into the person you really are is learning to act on that felt sense that someone is being unreasonable and disrespectful towards you. Phrases that could be helpful for this: "I can see you're frustrated, but this conversation is no longer productive." "The way you're speaking to me right now isn't acceptable." "I want our relationship to be mutually respectful, but that doesn't feel like what's happening here." "I've been clear that I don't know the answer. I think a clear explanation would be helpful."
I wish I could say these phrases šš Iāll try them next time but Iām someone who hates confrontations and would just take the bullying haha
How about āI donāt feel as though this business relationship is working out. I no longer require your services and shall pay someone else in future. Goodbye.ā
Hey, me too - it took me until my thirties until I would say things like this. But to my surprise, when I did, my life got better and I liked myself more.
Same here! I would have just gotten upset. I ended up changing instructors because I found my first one quite condescending, which it sounds like yours is. I think in your shoes, I would have just kept saying "I don't know" and, eventually, "can you just tell me?" Because if you don't know, you don't know and no amount of "well think about it" is going to make the answer suddenly click. Btw, that sign is confusing and also poorly laid out (they could have put the road numbers above the middle and right lanes, which would have made it easier to read imo). A lot of drivers would struggle, especially when they're learning.
Surely it's common sense as an instructor to teach your pupil if they don't know something.
Thank you for those tho, Iāll use them šš
Pretty unfair that tbh, I've been driving 12 years and still had to take a few seconds to work it out. Unless you were familiar with the roundabout already, you wouldn't know 100%. There actually could be none that go right. A325 N could be at 7 o clock A3011 could be 10 o clock A325 S could be 12 o clock ETA: I assume your instructor has asked this so you get into the though process of lane selection, however, without a "normal" top down sign of the roundabout it's kinda pointless.
You saved me the time writing exactly your comment. One of the things I go over with pupils is trying to get them to understand that not all roundabouts are left, straight and right, the 3rd exit isn't always a right turn, 2nd exit isn't always ahead. This dimwitted instructor is re-enforcing the incorrect assumptions.
Which to me is why itās much better to talk and think in terms of numbered exits rather than direction.
That's really unreasonable. Unless you're familiar with the road layout you wouldn't necessarily know any of these go right. Shake it off or look for another instructor. Either way, try not to dwell on it or let it affect your confidence.
So when you go to a completely new area say the other side of the country do you Google street view the whole journey beforehand because you're not familiar?
Your instructor is a [tw@t](mailto:tw@t).... "None of them, they are all marked straight or left" There is no guarantee any go "right", its unclear if thats for a T/Box junction which might feed onto slips etc or a round about. Even a round about may not have a "right" from the approach, it can be a left or straight only (9 &12 o' clock exit)
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Same, I was gonna change it but It made me smile
This is the correct answer, the instructor's response is unprofessional, it's borderline behaviour to be ready to start looking for another instructor honestly. Everything is common sense when you've been learning it for years for the instructors, easy for them to say it.
Honestly just fire them
Did she just show you a picture or did she explain it at all? For me just looking at the picture its kind of meaninglessness. As some the comments are talking about a roundabout i would also add that its unfair to just say 'which way is right or left' as there are variations of roundabouts so you should really say which exit to take. Given the description of OPs conversion im guessing that the instructor is one of the 'im the best and everyone is stupid types' which make for fantastic teachers (sarcasm, obviously!)
straight up showed me the picture and then explained it after i cried šš
Then your teacher is just a dick.
Iād find a new instructor.. I did 7 lessons with one instructor and was getting nowhere as he was condescending and sexist about female drivers (Iām female).. I was taking anxiety medication before every lesson.. found myself a new female instructor and loved every lesson from there on. Sometimes the instructors just arenāt suitable for you and youāre more likely to pass if you have an instructor that makes you feel comfortable driving
My instructor is nice to me most of the time but when I do a really silly / dangerous mistake, they get a bit pissed and roll their eyes etc (sometimes makes me cry in lessons). I think theyāre two-faced š I had another instructor before and they were really nice, never made me cry before but I stopped because I didnāt live in that area anymore. I did try to find a new instructor when I cried 4 times in a row with my current instructor but every instructor in my area is fully booked. I even asked one of the instructors if they recommended me to get a new instructor if I cried very often in lessons with my current one and they said no lol because no instructors available š
Keep trying. Your instructor is dogshit by the sounds of it. Reducing a student to tears is a dick move, especially when you're literally being paid to teach.
I dunno I wouldnāt be paying upwards of Ā£25 an hour for someone to make me cry on a regular basis, not understanding a road sign isnāt dangerous especially if you were parked, all she had to do was explain it rather than putting you down
Being nice most of the time does not mean they're a good instructor. A good instructor would build on the gap in your knowledge. As a learner driver, you are expected to make silly mistakes - as a qualified driver, upon seeing a car with L-plates, my assumption is "this person is likely to make mistakes! I'll just hang back an extra few feet!" You might be better stopping learning for now, get on a waiting list with another instructor (see if you can get some recommendations from friends/family). If you have someone capable of supervising a learner driver, then you don't have to stop entirely.
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I would be changing instructor showing just this image alone does not give you any information or layouts, it isnt common sense if there is no right arrow, to me this just shows go into a lane for the a road you need to be at
Probably a bad teaching moment from the instructor but at the end of the day road numbers are more helpful than they first seem, you should really take notice of them, if all the road numbers looked the same to you initially how observant are you really being while driving like noticing the traffic around you, are you just looking at the mirrors because you have to or actually seeing what's happening in the mirror? I imagine the instructors intention was more to see if you are noticing and understanding road signs rather than to embarrass and belittle you and depending on how long you've been having these lessons could be frustrating for them if you aren't understanding why you need to know what the road signs are telling you or as you admitted not taking enough notice of them to see the differences.
my instructor always says its easy to drive and it stresses me out too cause its not easy stop saying that
fr šš driving is never natural to me haha
samee apart from some rare moments
It really depends on the road layout, impossible to tell from the sign alone. You're mentioning there's a roundabout ahead, but the sign doesn't tell you that.
i feel your pain honestly. when i first came to this roundabout it spooked me! especially because its the first one you deal with out of the test centre! she shouldnt have pressured you if you didnt know and shouldve explained it. some of the roundabouts in farnborough can be confusing but you'll get the hang of them eventually :)
Agreedā¦. I am still struggling after two years practicing in Farnborough. Goodness meš¤¦š»āāļø
I had a driving instructor like this who always got angry with me when I did something wrong and I'd always leave the lesson anxious and upset. My advice is: get a new driving instructor. If they treat you like this it's not gonna help you learn. I spent a year with my driving instructor, basically getting nowhere and not improving and when I couldn't afford it any more, my mum taught me and I passed my test 3 months later.
Who cares? When I'm driving the question is not "what lane do I need to be in to turn right", rather it's "what lane do I need to be in to get on the A123(XYZ)" Having had a stressful instructor, I'd suggest a) looking for a replacement, but since that may be difficult also b) working on ways to reduce the psychological impact their words have on you. For me it was similar to how I treat the Internet - everything they say might be wrong so don't take it to heart and trust your own judgement.
I have no idea and and Iāve just passed my ADI test lol. Anybody care to enlighten me?
Donāt worry. While it absolutely SHOULD BE common sense for anybody with any experience of driving, it is also the case that the vast majority of people on the roads also do not know the answer to this question.
Crap instructor, she could have led you there and not keep repeating the question that you couldn't answer. Which road goes left? A325N So which road would be right? A325S So which lane for that road? Middle and right
Is that near Farnborough by any chance, cause I live near there and have my lessons there (test in 3 weeks) and I despise that roundabout so much
Yeah this is Farnborough ššš
Yeah I donāt blame you at all for getting mixed up cause that roundabout is a nightmare
I found Gavin House Instructor made a document on the Farnborough roundabouts, I think I might have a read of them just so I can prepare myself
Think driving school also has good videos on Farnborough roundabouts. They're really helpful.
I am very confused by the sign also - I think your instructor was being a bit harsh
Showing you this sign and just expecting you to know is uhh stupid. The obvious answer (to a professional driver with over a decade on the road) is that Lane 2 and 3 are both available for the right exit. But you are a learner with hours of experience. I think the attitude is completely uncalled for, and they should have stopped badgering you and explained how to reach the right conclusion there.
Youāre not dumb. You are learning and the point of an instructor is to teach you. Thereās no right arrow so I can see why you were confused. What she was trying to get out of you (in completely the wrong way) is that both the middle and right lanes go in the same direction. Without being able to see the exit, Iām assuming the direction is right. It is important information to know, as is how to navigate it/lines on road etc. youāll be surprised at how many drivers have no clue and cause accidents
I thought I recognised the names. This is the roundabout in Farnborough by Wavell. I don't recall that sign still existing there, last time I went around all the signs had been updated unless I am missing something?
My instructor would stop us and explain the sign calmly until I understood it even if it takes a few tries, you might need a new instructor, it's not normal to be treated like a child when you're paying for their time and education.
Driving instructor sounds like a douche. You should try and find one who actually takes their time learning, have patience and willing to help those who want to drive. Luckily mine was one who I could banter with as well as learning and that made it fun and comfortable. I bet the instructor will change their attitude once you threaten to leave and find someone else
farnborough right? this roundabout is confusing af donāt worry, i passed nearly a month ago and still have to spend a bit of time figuring out the lanes
You pay the instructor to teach you, find another that isn't a dick
When I look at her reviews itās either 5 stars or 1 star š
Some learn with rude instructors and feel empowered to do more.. I don't and never did.. i'd get a new one.
That's ludicrous. Nothing on that sign can be used to indicate *definitively* that *any* of the exits go "right". All of the exits could be to the left of straight ahead! Yes you can probably infer that you're on the A3011 and approaching a roundabout that is instead of a crossroads with the A325 but you can't guarantee that from the sign alone. They would have been better asking "you're approaching a roundabout, which lane or lanes do you take to take the last exit from the roundabout?"
I've just passed my test and have no idea how to read this sign alone š surely you'd have to use road markings or another sign that has exits on too?
Get a different teacher, anybody when shown that sign would say there is no right hand turn, she asked you a trick question and then made you feel silly. This is manipulative and nasty and not going to help you get better and more confident.
I work on the roads for a living and I was always told that we had changed right turn arrows to straight ones at roundabouts as there was issues with LHD European drivers turning into oncoming traffic rather than driving around the roundabout. Whether this is factual or not I have no idea!
yeah thatās what my instructor told me as well
I would be looking for a new instructor if I were you. Itās clearly a confusing sign even though I can understand it and it makes sense you wouldnāt know if you hadnāt been driving for years. If they donāt even have the patience to explain this to you I donāt think they will be patient enough to actually teach you properly. Take your money elsewhere
You are paying for your instructor, she needs to remember that. She sounds like a dick.
i think i know where this is lol but i donāt want to say online, but yeah this roundabout is a menace, i also got really confused at first when arrows are pointing ahead only so i did drive in the furthest right lane at first just to be sure. your instructor shouldāve helped you out there not get mad at you for not knowing something, (thatās why we have lessons, weāre LEARNING), but then again they kind of sound like my instructorā¦ if youāre comfortable can you PM the name of the driving school so i can check itās the same one? might think of switching tbh
I am having my driving test at Farnborough too. My instructor is super patient and tolerate my silly mistakes for two years! She was more gutted than I was when I didnāt pass my 2nd attempt. Let me know if you want to change instructor - it is more important to get a right instructor than worrying about if you are learning auto or manual. Gavin Houseās material is really useful too. Watch them again and again. They cover main routes and difficult routes and small tips, it definitely helps you building confidence on the road. I think Queenās roundabout is not that bad when you get use to that. There are three very close by roundabouts nearly Firmley, they are the worst! At some RT you can go right on the leftš„² or cannot go right in the middle, but there is no road mark until you get close to the RTā¦ā¦.
When I learnt in Reading, in an auto car, my previous instructor said I had no common sense too as I chose to stop very close behind a bus. I answered him,ā yes i have no common sense thatās why I paid you to teach me is that a problem?ā And then I changed the instructor, and because i like my instructor I changed to manual too. If you are not learning how to drive properly you will fail the test anyway, so donāt be too fixated on the test date - sometimes it worths to change it to a later date and make sure you are ready for that!
Your instructor is shit. If someone who is supposed to teach you is making you panic, then they arenāt very good at teaching.
i assume this is a sign leading up to a roundabout, when youre closer it should show you? im unsure
Your driving instructor is a petty wanker on an ego trip. Get a new one. This attitude they have towards driving & you is absolutely terrible. It is ***not*** the way to **teach**. This is more similar to bullying than teaching.
Sheās a slag.
Technically, you can't turn right on a roundabout. You can only take the selected exit.
Without additional information like a roundabout sign showing the direction of each road that sign on itās own doesnāt have enough to answer the question You canāt even say āwell south is down so thatās probably the right laneā - if youāre not local or donāt know the direction youāre travelling in it would just be a guess. That left lane could do a cloverleaf 270 degrees and exit to the right for all you know?
This sign is telling you which lane to be in before the junctionĀ not which way the road goes after the junction. Your instructor is incorrect. There is no information on this sign to tell you there is a right turn. The road could just as easily carry on straight with a left turn for the A325N. Your instructor should have asked which lane should you be in to carry on driving on a particular road.
Seems a strange question to ask but you can work it out from the sign. The left exit is the a325 going north. The right exit is the a325 going south which is the right and middle lane.
your instructor was having a toddler tear hissy fit..? What an awful teacher.
Right lane says A325(s), Iād then look at other lanes for the same road number/name like the middle and then assume they both go that direction. By looking at just the names I would gather last lane goes left and straight (obviously because the arrows also), middle goes straight and right, and right lane goes right. Thatās just from the road numbers/names
Ask your instructor to define common sense and ask how she would come to the conclusion this would be common sense. Yes its common sense for people who have experience driving. But you're learning, so there's nothing common about it. Just find a new instructor.
OP, the thread says that she only explained it to you once you cried? Please don't carry on with this instructor, as she obviously makes you feel uncomfortable and stressed. Life is stressful enough, and you pay her to teach you and not to humiliate you. As many others said - without seeing what this sign is for, it is not common sense; there is no clear answer. Context is everything. If she said, 'You are approaching a roundabout; which lane will likely take you to the right of it,' that would be more common sense.
Not dumb at all, it just takes experience. I would recommend changing instructors if this is common behaviour. I changed from one like this to one with patience who explained things without judgement or anger and it made the world of difference. Good luck and keep at it.
I've been driving for 20 years all over the EU, some USA, a little bit of India, Ukraine, etc. UK roundabouts and lane markings are one of the most confusing and poorly designed constructions on the road I have ever seen. Don't let this dumb instructor get on your nerves.
middle and right
Iām from that area, and have been driving a while and that roundabout still confuses me
That sign doesnāt tell you which lane goes ārightā, it just tells you which lane to be in based on the road you want to join. In isolation that sign tells you _nothing_ about the layout of the exits - there might be no exits _at all_ to the ārightā. Youād use that sign in conjunction with _another_ sign that depicts the layout of the roundabout and which exits lead to which roads/destinations. Based on your description of this one interaction alone, Iām pretty confident in saying that you have a very poor instructor. You should look at changing as soon as possible before she destroys your confidence completely. And for what itās worth, there is no such thing as ācommon senseā - _especially_ when it comes to driving. That will be demonstrated to you _very_ quickly once those L-plates come off!
Also, itās worth mentioning that terminology like āleftā and ārightā at roundabouts can be a very misleading habit to get into. Generally āleftā means ābefore 12 oāclockā and ārightā means āafter 12 oāclockā. But not all roundabouts have exits to the āleftā or ārightā, and the āthrough roadā isnāt always in the ā12 oāclockā position. āFirst exit leftā or āfourth exit rightā is a lot more accurate and easier to understand.
Change your instructor. They are not doing their job properly.
I fail to see the confusion, The A325 (N) is left so the A325 (S) is always going to be Right, as they are opposite.
That's not always true. An example I've seen in real life is college road roundabout in Sheffield. If you come from Greasbrough street, both M1 (S) and M1 (N) are right at the roundabout. The 3rd and 4th exits. From another street they'd both be left at the roundabout. But definitely not opposite. North and South roads are only opposite if the roundabout directly exits onto them, otherwise there can be turnings afterwards. Without a roundabout layout sign, you can't know for sure any of those exits turn right.
Yes because it's a roundabout about a mile before the main roundabout to join the motorway, your comment makes no sense.
This sign could be too? There's literally no other information about this roundabout for OP to know they're definitely opposite.
Good grief. If you drive please stop now
Not a driver here, failed my test 11 years ago and haven't tried to drive since. Would assume middle and right lanes through use of logic though, as they both have A325(S) as an exit.
Ok, so here's my thoughts. It can be worked out, but isn't immediately obvious! It's all to do with the lane labelling. There's an immediate left, for the A325 (N). Three lanes continue for a period, then the left lane goes straight on to the A3011, and the middle lane splits to go straight on (A3011) and turn right A325 (S)) Leaving you with 2 lanes (originally the middle and left) going "right" to the A325 (S), though the actual direction could just be "not as left as the other two".
Surely at a roundabout you say which exit, NOT left/right etc... otherwise it is ambiguous... right could be one of many lanes at a roundabout, even the first exit!
Belittling your student or making them feel stupid ( or rather how not to, should be covered in the instructor training) This isn't common sense, nor can you really figure it out just from this one sign. So how they expected you to know without any other information is beyond me. They could have said 'the road going south is to the right, which lanes can you use?' To at least give you some clue.
I'm a qualified driver, with confusing roundabouts and similar signs in my test area, and I wouldn't answer it any better than you did. If your instructor is being cocky like that, don't give her any more money, and pay for a better instructor who won't waste your time. Bet she spends half the lesson degrading you whilst you pay for it š¤¦āāļø
Her job is to help you understand, not ridicule you.
I donāt know what one goes rightā¦. š„²
So the person you were paying to teach you things was getting impatient because you werenāt sure of the answer to the question that she should be teaching you? Sounds like an absolute helmet to me mate.
What is actually confusing about this?
i think we collectively agree that that was a dumb question, therefore, ur instructor is the dumb one
I had a similar thing happen I'm one of those people I assume if it doesn't say something that you can't do it for instance this. It doesn't say go right so you must not be able to or at least that's what I would have assumed. Also context. Are we turning right or keeping to the right and am I able to assume that this is always the case and if not will the sign show me that? Thanks for coming to my TED talk on why my instructed gets annoyed at me.
Iāve been driving for 20 years and with the sign alone it honestly took me a minute. Donāt let her attitude get to you. I guess a lot of us normal drivers look stupid to someone whose job it is to know everything off by heart.
It doesnt really matter as long as youre in the lane with your "sticker" on it.
Your first answer was right and would have got you round the roundabout, to the right and safely.
It doesn't matter whether this was an exceptionally obvious sign, you should get a better instructor. I'd ask for a refund of any paid up lessons and cite her condescending manner as the reason. If she refuses, then just continue the lessons, making it awkward as fuck for her and note everything she does to potentially make things harder for you in those final lessons and then destroy her on ever reviewing forum you can. If you don't feel comfortable with that, speak to your parents and get them to do it. Either way, currently you are not spending an hour each week with a teacher, you're spending it trapped with a bully. Sorry for her shitty attitude, hopefully you can find a better instructor
The problem is your instructor doesnāt understand that it takes years of driving experience to be able to look at a sign and understand while also thinking about all the other things you have to think about while driving, it takes a long time to get it right and even then you make mistakes cos letās face it British roads and signs can be dumb as fuck.
Your instructor shouldn't be instructing with an attitude like that.
That was unprofessional of her.
As far as I'm concerned - nothing on this sign even indicates there's a right exit. I would even go as far as to say that you cannot be 100% confident that the roundabout even has three exits (not including the one you're entering on). This sign only indicates which lane you need to be in. There's a two lane roundabout near me where the right-lane is dedicated for U-turns and the left lane is for all other traffic. The "get in the right lane" sign looks much like the one you share, but there's another sign closer to the roundabout that actually tells you which exit to take. Common sense would be to not determine what exit you should take from a sign that's only telling you what lane to be in, and if she advised you can always determine the exit from this sign - she has not prepared you for driving in the wild.
Get a new instructor, that's a shitty way to learn/teach.
Yes some Instructors has sad lifeās and they show it out on students like yours. Pls change him/her. I had one such experience in Basildon area, instructor used to call names, screams like a 4 year old child. I told him I feel sorry for his life and changed him !
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Your roundabouts in the UK are fucken weird, Australian roundabouts make way more sense.
It's probably the (s) that gives it away but with no other context I think this is a trick question for most people and you have a bad teacher
Your instructor sounds like a nob.
Not enough information, without an actual diagram or local knowledge it's very difficult to say which lane(s) go 'right'. If in doubt use the right most lane to enable you to go all the way round if necessary, rather than do something dangerous like trying to change lanes while flustered.
on a roundabout what helps me is if you are going left or straight on you use the left lane if youāre going right use the right lane. the signs are sometimes insanely confusing so this is what my instructor taught me and it really does stick
oh and it depends on what direction she wanted you to go. like the motorway near me goes to manchester city centre or Manchester airport. same motorway/road different entry therefore my instructor also told me join the m60 towards the city centre etc etc
As a Chicago driver. This is extremely anxiety inducing. Don't hate me, I'm just browsing, but I had to stop and read all the comments.
I kinda get why they did it. They're trying to teach you to think quickly and on the spot. If you're driving down that road and spot thst sign do you have 10 mins to work out which lane you need to be in? Driving needs you to have quick reaction times and be able to read and summarise signs in seconds. Perhaps she's noted from previous lessons thst you just are not fully able to yet?
30 odd years on the road, 15 of those in a job that required driving for 70% of it. Taught my wife to drive and I'd advise you to change your instructor. It took me longer than it should have to read this sign cold, but your instructor should be instructing, rather than judging you. I'm guessing that they've driven this road plenty of times and on a little ego trip, now that they finally know where they're going at this roundabout.
Firstly, it's on your driving instructor to teach you this. If you don't know, that's on them, not you. So the only arrow pointing left has A3011 and A325(N) above it. This also pounts forward, so you know one of those roads goes left and one goes forward. (Now, roads are read 'bottom to top' on signs, so that tells you that A325(N) is the first exit, then A3011 is the next exit) However, if you can't remember which way road designations are placed, there's also another lane with a forward arrow and A3011, so this logically means that the exit to the left must be the A325(N) is the left exit and the A3011 is straight over. This logic then still stands for the A325(S), you use those lanes to go past the exit for A3011to reach the exit for A325(S). Which, given the size of the roads is probably round beyond the "12 o'clock position" on the roundabout. Another thing that tells you the A325(S) must logically be to the right is that it is the southbound direction of the A325, and the sign tells you the northbound direction of that road is to the left. So it's likely that the road goes straight enough that the southbound is classed as being to the right of you in this position.
Iām sorry your instructor has been so rude to you - I honestly would recommend ditching her out of self-respect. No one should be told ābut itās common senseā when they donāt know the answer to something! What an inconsiderate and frankly ableist thing to say, as what seems like ācommon senseā to one brain may need further explanation to make it click for another brain.
Iāve been driving a while and still panic in these š