A widespread claim says roundabouts are no safer than traditional intersections.

Our rating: False.

Research shows roundabouts significantly reduce crash severity — with up to 82% fewer serious accidents compared to traditional intersections. Cities like Carmel, Indiana, have seen injury crashes fall by 80% after widespread adoption.

However, concerns remain about accessibility for visually impaired pedestrians. For full context, read the complete fact-check below:

A common myth suggests roundabouts offer no safety advantage over traditional intersections — and that their growing use in cities like Gulfport and Hattiesburg may have little impact.

But decades of data show otherwise, and this widespread claim is false. Roundabouts are not only safer — they are among the most effective tools for reducing the number and severity of roadway crashes.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, roundabouts reduce severe crashes by up to 82% compared to conventional intersections with stop signs or traffic lights. A U.S. Department of Transportation report says the reasons for the increased safety level at roundabouts include a combination of design features that reduce conflict points, slow vehicle speeds and simplify pedestrian crossings.

Unlike conventional intersections, roundabouts eliminate the most hazardous crash types — such as right-angle, head-on and left-turn collisions — especially in single-lane designs, which offer shorter pedestrian crossing distances and fewer areas of traffic interaction.

The lower and more uniform vehicle speeds within roundabouts give drivers more time to react and reduce the severity of crashes when they do occur. Pedestrians also face fewer risks, as they only need to cross one direction of traffic at a time, with vehicle paths more predictable and speeds slower at entry and exit points.

A notable case study in roundabout success comes from Carmel, Indiana — a city with a population size comparable to Mississippi’s metro areas. Carmel has installed more than 150 roundabouts, and city officialsreport injury crashes have dropped by approximately 80%. Overall crashes have declined by about 40% since the expansion of its roundabout network.

According to information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute, converting just 10% of the nation’s signalized intersections to roundabouts could have prevented an estimated 51,000 crashes in 2022 — including about 231 fatal crashes and roughly 34,000 that caused injuries.

Officials note roundabouts can present significant challenges for pedestrians with visual impairments. According to the U.S. Access Board, multilane roundabouts can present accessibility challenges for pedestrians who are blind or have low vision.

Research shows these pedestrians often need several extra seconds to detect safe gaps in traffic and cannot reliably discern whether all lanes are clear. The board recommends incorporating audible pedestrian signals, raised crosswalks, high-visibility markings or other enhancements to improve safety in these areas.

Claims about roundabout safety can influence public opinion and policy decisions about transportation design. As cities in Mississippi and across the country weigh infrastructure changes, it is important to evaluate those decisions based on available data.

Research shows that roundabouts reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities at many types of intersections. While accessibility concerns remain, federal agencies and transportation experts generally consider roundabouts a safer alternative to conventional intersections. The evidence does not support claims that roundabouts offer no safety advantage.

This report was produced by the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center as part of its “What Is True?” fact-checking service. The center’s researchers investigate local claims to help the public separate fact from fiction. To learn more or submit a claim for review, visit rhcjcnews.com/witreq.

This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.