Driving Tests

Maine Roundabout Rules: Who Has the Right-of-Way?

informational·how to guide·Published April 7, 2026

Who has the right-of-way at a rotary or roundabout in Maine?

In Maine, you must yield to each vehicle already inside a traffic circle, roundabout or rotary before you enter, unless an officer or traffic control devices direct otherwise. As you enter, go around and exit, drive only to the right of the center island and yield to a vehicle on your left. Do not travel beyond 2 exit points in the outside lane.

Where the Maine rotary rules come from

Maine sets these rules in Maine law (Title 29-A, section 2053), the right-of-way section of the Maine Revised Statutes, as of 2026. This guide is for drivers in Maine. Confirm the rules with the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (maine.gov/sos/bmv) before you drive.

Who yields at a rotary or roundabout in Maine?

You approach the circle, and no officer or traffic control device regulates it in another way

Yield to each vehicle already inside the traffic circle, roundabout or rotary, then enter. Drivers go around to the right of the island, so that traffic comes from your left.

A law enforcement officer directs traffic at the circle

Follow the officer's directions, even when they differ from the normal yield rule.

Traffic control devices regulate the circle in another way

Follow the devices. They take the place of the normal yield rule at that circle.

You are entering, going around or leaving the circle

Yield the right-of-way to a vehicle on your left.

Which way do you go around a Maine roundabout?

Keep to the right of the center island. Maine law says that a driver who enters, goes around and exits a roundabout, mini-roundabout, rotary or traffic circle may drive only to the right of the center traffic island. In plain words, you travel counterclockwise, with the island on your left. Only trailer wheels, and a combination vehicle or a bus on a mini-roundabout, may cross a center island, and only in the cases the law names in the table below.

How to drive a Maine rotary, step by step

1
Look for signs and markings
Read the signs and the pavement markings at the entrance. Maine law requires you to obey all signs and markings lawfully placed at the circle.
2
Yield at the entrance
Give the right-of-way to every vehicle already inside the circle, unless an officer or a traffic control device says otherwise.
3
Enter to the right of the center island
Drive only to the right of the center traffic island. Do not drive on or across the center part.
4
Circulate with the island on your left
Keep going around the island, and yield to a vehicle on your left.
5
Leave at your exit
In the outside lane, do not travel beyond 2 exit points. Leave the circle to the right of the island, as you entered.

The 2 exit point limit in the outside lane of a Maine roundabout

Maine law says a driver may not travel in a traffic circle, roundabout or rotary beyond 2 exit points in the outside lane. Before you enter, find your exit and count the exit points to it, so that you know if your trip fits this limit.

Maine center island rules for cars, trailers and buses

Maine center island rules for cars, trailers and buses
Vehicle	What Maine law allows
Car or other vehicle without a trailer	Never. Drive only to the right of the center island, and not on or across the center part.
Semitrailer or trailer, on a rotary, roundabout or traffic circle	The wheels of the semitrailer or trailer may cross the center part, but only if the wheels of the towing vehicle do not cross it.
Combination vehicle or bus, on a mini-roundabout	May drive across a traversable center traffic island. No other driver may.
Bus, on a rotary, roundabout or traffic circle	No exception. A bus may not drive on or across the center part.

Practice the roundabout rule before the permit test

A practice question helps you remember the order: yield first, then enter to the right. The free Maine question about what to do before entering a roundabout tests the yield rule. Our practice tests and question pages are free and in English only. They are practice questions, not questions from the real test.

Key takeaways

Yield to a vehicle already inside the traffic circle, roundabout or rotary, unless an officer or traffic control devices regulate it in another way.
Drive only to the right of the center island, and yield to a vehicle on your left.
Do not travel beyond 2 exit points in the outside lane, and obey all signs and pavement markings.
A car driver must never cross the center. The only exceptions are trailer wheels (with the towing vehicle's wheels off the center) and a combination vehicle or bus on a traversable mini-roundabout island.
Next step: practice on the free Maine Class C permit practice test.

Maine rotary and roundabout rules: common questions

Is a rotary the same as a roundabout in Maine?

For these rules, yes. Maine law writes "traffic circle, roundabout or rotary" together, and the same yield, outside-lane and sign rules apply to all three. The law also names the mini-roundabout, where a combination vehicle or a bus may drive across a traversable center island.

Do I yield to the car on my right in a roundabout?

No. At intersecting public ways, Maine law tells you to yield to the vehicle on your right, but it names the roundabout, traffic circle and rotary as an exception. In the circle, yield to vehicles already inside, which come from your left. The Maine four-way stop rules explain the yield-to-the-right rule at plain intersections.

Can a truck or bus drive over the center island?

Only in two cases. On a rotary, roundabout or traffic circle, the wheels of a semitrailer or trailer may cross the center part if the wheels of the towing vehicle do not. On a mini-roundabout, a combination vehicle or a bus may drive across a traversable center island. Every other driver must stay off the center.

When did Maine add the 2 exit point rule for rotaries?

In 2021. A 2021 session law (Public Law 2021, chapter 239) changed the roundabout parts of Maine's right-of-way law. It added two rules: do not travel beyond 2 exit points in the outside lane of a traffic circle, roundabout or rotary, and obey all signs and pavement markings placed at the circle.