CNBC asks 'Roundabouts Are Safer. So Why Does The U.S. Have So Few Of Them?' A driving update

For today's short video post, I'm sharing CNBC asking Roundabouts Are Safer. So Why Does The U.S. Have So Few Of Them?

Roundabouts - the circular intersections seen all over Europe and elsewhere in the world - are said to be far safer than traffic lights. Research shows they reduce crashes, clear up congestion and save cities quite a bit of money. They have a heritage in the U.S., but America has a fraction of the roundabouts that far smaller countries like France, Spain and the United Kingdom have. But there are some states that are adopting them, and one small town in particular: Carmel, Indiana. The people of Carmel love their roundabouts and the mayor credits them with helping revitalize his city. So are they all they’re cracked up to be? And if so, why hasn’t the U.S. adopted them?

This video does a great job of presenting the pros and cons of roundabouts. They save energy, improve traffic flow, save lives, reduce injuries, and save money on traffic lights. I knew all that, but I didn't know they increase collisions with bikes unless they include protected bike lanes. It's always a good day when I learn something new.

That's the big picture. Now for my personal driving update.


Pearl will pass 60,000 miles today, which will be 88 days after she passed 59,000 miles on June 1, 2023. That translates to 11.36 miles per day, 349.59 miles per standard month, and 4,147.73 miles per standard year. That's more than the exactly 10 miles per day, 305 miles per standard month, and 3650 miles per standard year I drove her between passing 58,000 miles on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 and June 1, 2023. That's not what I expected because I drove less for work this summer than this spring. Most likely it's because I drove a lot of those miles this spring on Snow Bear during bad weather and drove Pearl more while the weather was good. Let's see what the next updates of both vehicles show as the weather worsens during the fall.

Looking at my driving another way, it will have been 383 days since Pearl passed 56,000 miles on August 10, 2022 for averages of 10.44 miles per day, 318.54 miles per standard month, and 3,812.01 miles per standard year. In contrast, it took 434 days to me to drive Pearl 4,000 miles between March 24, 2022 and June 1, 2023, which becomes 9.22 miles per day and 3,364.06 miles per year. I'm definitely driving Pearl more, and my wife has resumed driving Snow Bear regularly, so I expect our total mileage will increase when I update driving on that vehicle. It will still be below the pre-pandemic peak, just like for the nation as a whole.