Roundabout 'sling-shots': Is the divisive 'driving hack' legal?

A driving 'hack' that is being widely shared on TikTok is dividing public opinion and prompting experts to issue warnings over the potential fines associated with the manoeuvre.

What is a roundabout sling-shot?

The 'roundabout slingshot' move sees drivers avoid a queue of traffic in a left-hand lane leading up to the left-hand turn on a roundabout by driving around the entire roundabout in the right-hand lane and then shooting into the destination lane, thus avoiding the queue.

In a one of the most widely commented on TikTok videos on the topic, a user shared footage of himself performing the move, suggesting that by doing a slingshot, he was helping to break up the flow of traffic and helping other drivers out.

"You can't beat a slingshot on the weekend," the driver says as he passes the queue of traffic on his left.

"The near-constant traffic from the fourth entrance to the roundabout is making sure that congestion just builds up, so a little bit of a slingshot is just going to be the nice little treat that everybody deserves."

But while some social media users said that they did the move all the time - with one writing "According to official guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), "misusing lanes to gain advantage over other drivers" is an example of "careless or inconsiderate driving" - others said it was not OK to overtake the traffic.

"Breaking the Highway Code by not getting in the lane of his intended exit. Potentially dangerous driver - what other rules does he break," one TikToker replied in the extremely divided comments section.

Is a roundabout sling-shot legal?

However, the naysayers may have a point. Guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says that "misusing lanes to gain advantage over other drivers" is an example of "careless or inconsiderate driving".

And careless driving carries a penalty of a potential fine and points on your licence, while on the car forum Pistonheads, users suggest that it's a move likely to exacerbate road rage. Now experts at Select Car Leasing reveal that while roundabout sling-shotting isn’t an offence in and of itself, you could still find yourself being collared.

Select Car Leasing’s Graham Conway said: “Careless or inconsiderate driving typically attracts a fixed penalty of £100 and three points on your licence. In more serious cases motorists will have to go to court where they could face higher penalties.

“It all boils down to whether your driving ‘falls below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver’. Sling-shotting a roundabout - or ‘misusing lanes to gain advantage over other drivers’ - could easily fall into this category.

“And while you might think you’re being clever with your roundabout ‘hack’, you run the risk of a police officer failing to be impressed at your driving skills.”