When faced with a roundabout without signs, the Highway Code in force gives reason to those who enter and not to those who are already turning. It seems like a contradiction and, in fact, it almost always is, because the signs overturn the rule. The outline of the new Code, approved in preliminary examination by the Council of Ministers on 13 October, aims to close the misunderstanding.
What does the scheme provide?
Article 52, paragraph 11, of the text assigns priority to vehicles traveling along the ring over those arriving from the side arms, unless otherwise indicated. In short, the “French” rule would become the general one and would no longer depend on the triangle planted at the entrance. The same article, in paragraph 10, deals with lane changes inside the roundabout, where the vehicle that already occupies the lane in which you want to move passes first. Article 51, paragraph 8, however, intervenes on the position to be held: for the first exit you should get as close as possible to the right edge, while for the subsequent ones you should keep close to the central island, even when the road is open.
The rules valid today
None of this is yet in force, therefore the reference remains article 145 of the Code, which in paragraph 2 requires anyone arriving from the right to pass, unless otherwise indicated. Where the body that owns the road has placed the give way sign, and this is by far the most frequent case, those entering the road wait. Where the sign is missing, it is up to whoever is in the ring to stop. Failure to give way costs from 167 to 665 euros, and the second violation within two years adds to the suspension of the license from one to three months.
When will it change
The green light in October is only the first step. The decree, which implements the delegation contained in law 177 of 2024 and will replace the 1992 Code, still has to pass by the Council of State, the Unified Conference and the parliamentary commissions. The press release from Palazzo Chigi does not indicate dates. The calendar circulated after the Council of Ministers places the application of the new rules on 1 January 2028, provided that the text does not change in the meantime.
