• Improved safety: Reduces the number of points where vehicles can cross paths and eliminates the potential for right-angle and head-on crashes
• Safer speeds: Another safety improvement is promoting lower vehicle speeds, giving drivers more time to react
• Increased efficiency / reduced congestion: Yield-controlled design means fewer stops, fewer delays and shorter queues
• Long-term cost effectiveness: roundabouts can save on long-term costs by not requiring the same maintenance and operational costs as traffic signals
• Aesthetics: Allows for landscaping and beautification
• Roundabouts significantly reduce pollution, noise impacts, and fuel consumption

The modern roundabout is characterized by the following basic principles:

• Generally circular shape with counterclockwise traffic flow
• Yield-at-Entry – Vehicles approaching the roundabout must wait for a gap in the circulating flow, or yield, before entering the circle
• Slow speed environment – Through geometric curvature and deflection, the traffic is directed or channeled to the right with a curved entry path into the circulatory roadway
• It can be more than one circulating lane
• In some cases, right turns can bypass the circulating roadway
• Safely accommodates cyclists and pedestrians by providing a low-speed environment