State Patrol Sergeant Explains Roundabouts And Zipper Merging Safety Rules

How to zipper merge and how to drive in a roundabout were just two of the questions Sargent Jesse Grabow from the Minnesota State Patrol addressed when he joined me on WJON this week.

Roundabouts

The exact amount of roundabouts that exist in the St. Cloud metro area isn't known but the amount has been growing in recent years.  Grabow believes roundabouts on Minnesota roads "work wonderfully".  He says they were put in on many Minnesota roads where the state saw a lot of crashes which resulted in serious injuries and fatalities in problematic intersections.  Grabow says these roundabouts have reduced crashes and limited the right angle impact t-bone type crash.

Safety in Roundabouts

Grabow suggests to always pay attention when entering a roundabout.  Slow down when entering a roundabout, watch for pedestrians and those on bikes, look to the left as traffic moves counterclockwise, yield to those already in the roundabout and look for a safe spot to enter to the right.  If you are entering a 2-lane roundabout, choose your lane and stay in the lane until exiting the roundabout.

Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth

Zipper Merge

It is not uncommon to see signs on Minnesota roads indicating "left lane closed, merge right".  These signs typically are posted when road construction is taking place and  traffic goes from 2 lanes to 1 lane.  Sargent Grabow says zipper merge is the law in the state and everyone should merge as close to the suggested merge point as they can.  He says merging too soon can slow traffic and cause further delays.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Sargent Jesse Grabow from the Minnesota State Patrol, click below.