Roundabouts: A Traffic, Pollution And Safety Feature?

I was born in California and therefore find traffic circle “roundabouts” to be utterly confusing.  When I visit my wife’s family in the Washington DC area, I often have minor panic attacks trying to navigate the old roundabouts in that city.  This bit from the movie European Vacation pretty much summarizes my experience with them:

But I’ve lately become more convinced of their value in slowing down and smoothing traffic, reducing pollution from idling cars, and giving pedestrians and bikers safer intersections to cross.  Anderson Cooper ran a segment on an Indiana town with a Republican mayor that is getting rid of traffic lights in favor of roundabouts:

If the benefits are truly there, I’m willing to brave them when I drive.

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