A solicitor has warned that the roundabout driving trick known as 'slingshotting' could land motorists with a fine of up to £1,000 and nine penalty points on their licence. The manoeuvre involves entering a roundabout in the right-hand lane, circling all the way around, and then taking the intended exit - a method some drivers use to bypass long queues when turning left.
The practice has gone viral online, with some motorists declaring 'I do this all the time' while others say it 'causes delays for everyone else'.
Legal position on slingshotting
Dominic Smith, head of the Road Traffic Department at motoring solicitors firm Patterson Law, confirmed there is no specific law preventing roundabout slingshotting. However, he said that in certain circumstances it could be considered 'inconsiderate' - an offence under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, the same section covering driving without due care and attention.
Smith explained: "It is an offence if you cause 'inconvenience to other road users'. So if a police officer sees you use a roundabout in a way that is not intended, but simply to skip the queue, and believes you have caused inconvenience to those waiting in the queue, you could end up with up to nine penalty points and a £1,000 fine."
Highway Code guidance
Graham Conway, managing director at Select Car Leasing, pointed to Highway Code advice on roundabouts. He said drivers should 'get into the correct lane' as they approach, and when there are multiple lanes, 'use the most appropriate lane on approach and through it'.
Conway added: "It doesn't say you should slingshot around if there's an advantage to be gained. The other thing to be mindful about is that if you slingshot a roundabout and you still can't exit because of standing traffic, you then risk blocking the other lanes."
Mixed public reaction
One roundabout slingshot video attracted thousands of likes on TikTok and hundreds of comments on YouTube. One user defended the practice, saying: "It's not misuse, it's called using your brains. As far as I'm concerned it's no different than merge in turn. If you want to sit in a queue for 10 minutes, go right ahead."
Another commenter warned: "Technically this isn't illegal, but in reality if everyone did this that roundabout would be completely blocked with cars all queuing around it, which would cause congestion on the perpendicular roads too. So it's a good idea on occasion, a terrible one if everyone decides to do it."
