Watch a driver use a ’roundabout slingshot’ to avoid traffic – but motorists disagree on whether it’s legal

A DRIVER has filmed himself performing a “roundabout spin” to avoid traffic – but other motorists are divided over whether it is legal.

TikTok user Martin Hedley posted a short clip of himself seemingly performing a maneuver at a roundabout near Gosforth Park in Newcastle.

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Hedley is seen driving along when he hits a traffic jam at a roundabout.

However, instead of joining the queue and waiting his turn, he pulls into the empty right lane and drives to the roundabout.

He then bypasses the roundabout and joins the traffic queue in front of it again.

Hedley captioned the short social media clip: “Good old slingshot,” adding: “Slingshot. Nothing beats planning ahead. See you soon!!!”

Although the post has received a whopping 16,000 likes, it is causing complete confusion among other drivers as to whether traffic rules have been violated.

One commenter wrote: “Is this legal on UK roads?” Many replies said it was.

Another said: “Can actually get you points on your driving license.”

While a third added: “What would happen if you did that on a driving test I wonder?”

A fourth person posted: “It feels like the perfect crime without it even being a crime. “The best part is getting past and getting the right of way over the queue you skipped.”

While skidding often provokes the ire of other drivers, there is actually nothing in the road rules that can prevent it, as long as you drive safely.

However, some road law experts are unsure whether the hack complies with the rules.

Crown Prosecution Service guidance states that “abusing lanes to gain an advantage over other drivers” can be considered “negligent or reckless driving”.

Graham Conway from Select Car Leasing told us Yahoo News: “Careless or reckless driving will usually result in a fixed penalty notice of £100 and three points on your driving licence.”

“In more serious cases, drivers will have to go to court where they will face higher penalties.”

“It all boils down to whether your driving behavior is “below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver.”

“Going through a roundabout – or ‘abusing lanes to gain an advantage over other drivers’ – could easily fall into this category.”

There were further examples of drivers using a “roundabout skid” trick to avoid morning traffic, and a video of a driver losing control on a wet roundabout went viral on social media.

Last month, another TikTok user called “Pedal Perspective” posted a clip seemingly filmed in London of a driver performing the controversial maneuver.

It comes after dashcam footage of a driver using the slingshot left viewers divided over whether it was fair.

Meanwhile, an EV expert has explained four reasons why vehicle owners actually prefer gasoline engines.

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