Roundabout Rules in the UAE: Right of Way, Lane Choice, Signalling and Fines

Direct answer. At a UAE roundabout, traffic already circulating has priority, and you give way to vehicles coming from your left before you enter. Article 6 of the federal Traffic Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024, says that where there is a roundabout and no sign or officer directing traffic, priority goes to those coming from the left. The driver handbook of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) adds the practical rules: pick your lane before you enter, stay in it, and signal when you leave. This guide covers priority, lane choice on two- and three-lane roundabouts, signalling, pedestrians and large vehicles, the fines the official schedule lists, and what to do after a collision.

The rules at a glance

Five rules cover most roundabout driving; the sections below explain each one and its source.

What the Traffic Law says

The federal law sets one priority rule for roundabouts. The lane detail comes from Dubai RTA handbooks, which are practical guidance, so in every emirate follow the local signs and lane markings first.

The UAE government's road safety page states that the UAE applies Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 on Traffic Regulation, in force since 29 March 2025. It replaced Federal Law No. 21 of 1995, which Article 51 repeals. Older guides and some official handbooks still quote the 1995 numbering, so check which law a source cites.

Priority: traffic from the left

Article 6 is the only provision of the law that names roundabouts. Its wording is short.

• Where no traffic sign or traffic officer regulates an intersection, priority goes to vehicles coming from a main road.
• If the roads are equal in rank, or there is a roundabout or intersection, priority goes to those coming from the left.
• The same article lists vehicles that always take priority: official processions, civil defence vehicles on duty, ambulances and patient transport on duty, military convoys, police vehicles using warning sounds and lights, and essential-service vehicles named by a ministerial resolution.

Traffic drives on the right in the UAE and circulates anti-clockwise around a roundabout. So the vehicles already inside are the ones coming from your left as you approach. That is why the RTA's Light Motor Vehicle Handbook tells drivers to give way to all vehicles already in the roundabout moving towards them from the left, and to enter only when it is safe.

When signs or signals change the answer

Article 6 applies "in the absence of a Traffic Sign" or an officer. A give-way line, a stop sign, a traffic light or a police officer's hand signal therefore comes first. Article 4 requires every road user to observe traffic signs, rules and etiquette, and to follow the instructions of the traffic authority's members.

Some large roundabouts have signals, including flashing yellow warnings. Do not assume the default priority rule at an unfamiliar one. Read the signs at each entry, and follow the lane arrows painted on the road.

Entering a roundabout: giving way in practice

You give way before the line, not after you are already moving into the circle.

The handbook describes the sequence. Choose the lane early, using the directional signs along the route. Slow as you approach, look to your left, and enter only when the gap is safe. It also says good steering control, correct speed, indicators and mirrors matter so that you do not confuse other drivers about where you are going.

A few habits make the entry safer:

• Slow before the entry, not at it. A late stop is how drivers get rear-ended.
• Look at the vehicles, not the gap. Check how fast the nearest vehicle on your left is travelling.
• Do not force a gap. Article 7(1) requires everyone to use the road safely without obstructing traffic or causing an accident.
• Do not stop inside the circle. If you must stop, the law requires you to use the hard shoulder, away from intersections, and not to leave a vehicle standing in the roadway.

Choosing a lane on a multi-lane roundabout

Lane choice depends on the exit you want, and the handbook explains it separately for two- and three-lane roundabouts.

The handbook's core instruction is to decide whether you are turning right, going straight or turning left before you enter, then take the matching lane and keep it. In practice, we read the handbook's "turn right" as the first exit, close to the outside of the circle, and its "turn left" as an exit further round, which means crossing the circle. The handbook does not number the exits.

Two-lane roundabouts

Three-lane roundabouts

The handbook says the procedure is the same as for a two-lane roundabout, with more planning because you may cross two lanes to leave.

• Right turn: approach in the right lane, stay in it, and leave from the right lane.
• Straight ahead: choose the right or centre lane. The handbook says not to use the left lane, because that lane is for left-turning vehicles only.
• Left turn: follow the directional signs and lane markings, keep the same lane around the circle, and check for vehicles on your right before you leave.

If painted lanes or arrows show something different, follow the markings. The handbook itself says that where lanes are painted, it is critical to stay in the correct one.

Signalling and exiting

The indicator has one main job at a roundabout: telling the drivers behind and beside you which exit you want.

The RTA's Driving Safely in Dubai handbook lists leaving a roundabout among the situations where you must use your indicators. The Light Motor Vehicle Handbook gives the timing. For the first exit on your right, signal right on the approach and keep the indicator on until you have left the roundabout. For a later exit, signal right once you have passed the exit before the one you want, so that other drivers know you will leave at the next exit. Before leaving, check for vehicles on your right, especially if you are crossing lanes.

The best position is the one needing the fewest lane changes. The Driving Safely handbook says correct positioning matters at intersections and roundabouts, and that the best position needs minimal or no lane changes on the way to your planned route.

Pedestrians, emergency vehicles, buses and large vehicles

The default rule does not override people on foot or emergency vehicles.

• Pedestrians. Article 5(1)(f) requires a driver to slow down at a crosswalk and stop until pedestrians who have started to cross have crossed. Many roundabout entries and exits have crossings, so look for them before you commit.
• Emergency and priority vehicles. Article 6 puts ambulances, civil defence vehicles on duty and police vehicles using warning sounds and lights ahead of ordinary traffic. Make room for them, even if that means staying put for a moment.
• Buses and large vehicles. No separate official roundabout rule for large vehicles was found. The same priority and lane rules apply. Heavy-vehicle drivers also face their own lane rule in the violations schedule (see below), and the RTA handbook includes a road sign for buses that must keep right. Give a long vehicle extra room: it may need more than one lane to turn.

Fines and black points: what is officially listed

The official schedule has no line that names roundabouts, so these are the nearest listed offences.

The UAE government's road safety page links a "List of traffic offences and violations", which is the Ministry of Interior's Ministerial Resolution No. 178 of 2017 on traffic control. That schedule predates Federal Decree-Law 14/2024, and the page still links it. Article 49(2) of the decree-law keeps earlier resolutions in force, where they do not conflict with it, until replacements are issued. Treat every figure below as a figure to confirm with the Ministry of Interior or your emirate's police before you rely on it.

Which item applies to a given roundabout incident depends on the facts and on the officer or camera record. The schedule does not say that "wrong-lane exit" is a stand-alone offence. Cutting across lanes to reach an exit could fall under the compulsory-lane, sudden-deviation or signalling items, but that is a reading of the list, not an official statement.

For what black points do once they build up, see how many black points you can hold in Dubai. If a fine or points were recorded wrongly, the appeal process by emirate explains the routes, and the general guide to fines and imprisonment covers when a traffic matter becomes criminal. You can also check your own record through the police or Ministry of Interior channels, as explained in this LEXAI answer on checking traffic fines and black points.

If there is a collision at a roundabout

The priority rule is the starting point for fault, but it is not the whole answer.

No official page was found that sets a fault rule specific to roundabouts, so this guide does not claim one. What the law gives you is the Article 6 priority rule and the reporting duty. Article 5(1)(c) requires a driver to report an accident to the police, or to a party approved by the traffic authority, within three hours, unless there is an acceptable excuse for the delay.

What to do:

1. Check whether anyone is hurt, and call 999 if so.
2. If the collision is minor, move vehicles out of the lane only where it is safe and permitted.
3. Report the accident through the police channel for your emirate within the three-hour window.
4. Photograph the lane markings, signs and positions before anything moves, if you can do so safely.

Who is at fault is decided on the facts of each collision. A driver who entered without giving way, changed lanes without checking, or left without signalling may carry the blame, but the outcome can differ. If your insurer disputes a claim after a roundabout collision, see this LEXAI answer on a rejected car insurance claim.

Common mistakes

These patterns recur in the handbook's warnings and in the offences listed above.

• Entering without checking the vehicles on your left.
• Choosing the lane at the last moment and cutting across others to leave.
• Using the left lane of a three-lane roundabout for a straight-ahead route.
• Not signalling when leaving.
• Stopping inside the circle or on a crossing.
• Treating every roundabout as unsigned, when some are signal-controlled.

For the wider rules on lanes, overtaking and driver duties, see the UAE traffic rules guide.

Where to confirm the current rules

Check the law and the figures against the official source before you rely on them.

• The law: Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 on the LEXAI legislation page, and the federal portal.
• The driver handbooks: Dubai RTA's Light Motor Vehicle Handbook and Driving Safely in Dubai. Both cite the repealed 1995 law, so read them as practical guidance.
• The fine schedule: the list of traffic offences and violations linked from the u.ae road safety page.
• Your emirate's police and traffic authority for local fines, camera enforcement and any change to a roundabout's signals.

This post is general information, not legal advice. Your own facts, your emirate and any change to the law or the fine schedule may change the answer. If you need advice on a fine, black points or a collision, you can find a lawyer on LEXAI.