VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A recently built roundabout in Volusia County has some drivers concerned.
Crews opened the traffic circle at Orange Camp Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beltway in April 2022. According to data News 6 obtained from the Florida Highway Patrol, troopers responded to 73 crashes at the roundabout between April 2022 and May 2023.
News 6 received several messages on ClickOrlando.com from viewers who called the two-lane roundabout dangerous and said they either saw a crash or were almost in one themselves.
“If you ever come to Volusia County, the roundabout at Orange Camp Road and Martin Luther King needs to be covered,” one viewer said.
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Another person agreed, adding the roundabout was dangerous.
“Please explain... accidents occur every day,” they said.
News 6 viewer Cara Elder implored we “visit the roundabout intersection of Martin Luther King/Orange Camp Road in DeLand and investigate why there are too many accidents.”
News 6 met with Elder near the roundabout where she said she had two near misses.
“We were in the lane that said to go straight ahead and go exit the second exit, and there was someone who entered and didn’t yield, and just zipped right in front of us and missed us by hair,” Elder said. “Defensive driving is necessary.”
FHP Trooper Migdalisis Garcia said she has responded to so many crashes at the roundabout, and keeps a picture of how to use it on her phone to show drivers.
“I realized it was kind of the same pattern or the same issue where drivers weren’t familiarizing themselves with the signage on the roadway, or they didn’t know how to navigate through a roundabout that’s a two-lane roundabout,” Garcia said. “We have many drivers who are either in the left lane trying to go right or in the right lane trying to go left. It’s always a lane-changing issue that we see at that roundabout.”
There is another two-lane roundabout, built by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), at West Haven Road and U.S. 17-92. State data showed there were only 17 crashes at the roundabout from January 2020 through December 2022.
News 6 compared both roundabouts.
At Orange Camp Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beltway, News 6 found there was more of a broken line so drivers think they can change lanes. At the roundabout at West Haven Road and U.S. 17-92, there is a solid line.
A Volusia County spokesperson released this statement to News 6 regarding concerns raised about the roundabout.
“As the first roundabout designed and constructed by the county, the county has been closely monitoring the Orange Camp Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beltway roundabout since its completion and opening on April 11, 2022. The county is aware of motorist concerns and has been monitoring the roundabout by video and by site visit, in addition to reviewing crash reports. While the county is very pleased with the drastic reduction in motorist time spent waiting at a traffic signal at this location, accidents are always a concern, and the county is continually evaluating potential adjustments to help drivers.
Based on county staff’s monitoring, most roundabout crashes at this location are due to drivers changing lanes, straying into the adjacent lane while in the roundabout, or the result of drivers failing to yield as they enter the roundabout. In addition to improving its efforts to educate the driving public, the county is evaluating potential adjustments to help drivers understand and follow the driving pattern. In response to motorist feedback, the county has already made a change by removing the left turn arrows in the center of the outside approach lanes and will be modifying certain signs heading into the roundabout.
The roundabout at Orange Camp Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beltway was designed and is striped/signed consistent with state and national standards.”
Volusia County spokesperson
Tadd Kasbeer, the county engineer, said officials have contemplated reducing the roundabout to a single lane, but the primary reason for not doing this has to do with FDOT’s future roundabout project at the intersection of S.R. 44 and Kepler Road.
“The S.R. 44/Kepler Road roundabout will be a two-lane roundabout and located on the same road (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beltway becomes Kepler Road) approximately 2.8 miles to the north,” Kasbeer said in a statement. “Therefore, a large number of the drivers using the Orange Camp Road/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beltway roundabout will also be using the S.R. 44/Kepler Road Roundabout. Drivers will need to learn and become comfortable with navigating two-lane roundabouts.”
According to FDOT, there are approximately 20 roundabouts operating on the state highway system and over 300 roundabouts on local roads throughout Florida. The agency said implementing roundabouts has resulted in a 15% to 47% reduction in all crashes and an 80% reduction in serious injuries and fatalities in the state.
The agency shared these images of how to properly use a two-roundabout.
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