Roundabouts are safer than traffic lights. So why are there so few in the U.S.?

Consider the simple roundabout — a traffic circle well known in Europe but less familiar across most of America.

Proponents say roundabouts can dramatically reduce crashes, injuries and deaths, can improve traffic and even save a city a fair bit of money. But they have only recently caught on in the U.S., and not without resistance.

That is, except in Carmel, Indiana.

Mayor Jim Brainard became enamored with roundabouts while studying in the U.K. as a young man. He's since filled the streets of his city with them — at about 150 and counting, in a city of 100,000 people. 

"I get requests every month, it seems," Brainard said. "'Can you get rid of this traffic light near my house or near my business?' I couldn't take a roundabout out today if I wanted to."

Research backs Brainard's bet. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is funded by the insurance industry and issues widely watched crash test ratings for vehicles, says roundabouts are considerably safer for drivers and pedestrians and cause much less congestion than traffic lights. They're even better for the environment.

Roundabouts are not without their critics, though. Some say they may not handle large amounts of traffic as well, and there is some research that says certain designs can actually be more harmful for bicyclists.

But Brainard says they have helped transform his community.

"We have 150 corporate headquarters in Carmel. We have been rated over and over by various organizations [as] one of the best places to live in the United States; one of the best places to retire; one of the best places to raise families; one of the best places for single people. It was because we set out to build a city that worked," he said. "And the transportation network is one of those basic things that a city has to do right for it to work."

Watch the video to learn more.

Correction: In the video with this article, at 3:22 we showed incorrect roundabout markings and the improper way for a car to travel through a roundabout. The correct markings are in the latest federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The roundabout also should not have depicted cars traveling in overlapping paths.