The most dangerous and emergency roundabout in Vilnius can be called the intersection of Savanorių pr., Laisvės pr. and Geležinio Vilko g. According to the data of "Lietuvos draudimus", 96 traffic accidents were recorded at this transport junction last year. The amount of losses incurred there during the year was also the largest and amounted to 132 thousand euros or an average of almost 1,4 thousand euros per traffic accident.
The other two roundabouts in the capital, distinguished by a high number of registered accidents, are the so-called former Pedagogical University roundabout (T. Narbuto St., Konstitucijos Ave., Geležinio Vilko St.) and the Dutch roundabout. in Antakalni (T. Kosciuskos St., Antakalnio St., Olandų st.). There were 44 and 27 registered traffic accidents in them last year, respectively, according to insurance company data.
According to Giedrius Petrikas, Head of the Transport Claims Department at Lietuvos Draudimas, this trio of the most accident-prone traffic roundabouts has not changed for several years, therefore drivers should be extremely attentive and careful when driving near them and on the roundabouts themselves.
"Accidents occurring on the Savanoriai ring road account for almost half of all traffic accidents recorded on all transport rings in the capital, so this ring road can be called the transport junction in Vilnius that poses the most challenges for drivers. This ring road is particularly congested - traffic jams constantly form on the streets leading into it, and not infrequently on the ring road itself, with a large number of heavy vehicles, freight trucks, public transport "Therefore, it is necessary for drivers to keep a safe distance, not to make dangerous maneuvers, and to obey traffic markings and signs," says G. Petrikas.
The accident that caused the most damage was also recorded on the Savanorių Ave. ring road – the damage caused during the accident at the end of December amounted to 12 thousand euros, according to insurance company data.
According to the expert, the reasons for accidents at roundabouts are failure to obey road signs and markings, dangerous maneuvering, and failure to maintain a safe distance. Although vehicle speeds are usually low, even a brief loss of attention can result in a collision with another vehicle.
"In customer applications for compensation for losses incurred on traffic roundabouts, we often see similar circumstances of a traffic accident. The most common of these is that when entering the roundabout, the traffic flow on the roundabout was observed, and not the movement of the car in front, and when the car suddenly stops, a collision occurs. Also, often due to the wrong entry into the roundabout, drivers panic, look for a way out, how to exit it in the direction they need, and start maneuvering dangerously on the roundabout, crossing continuous lanes, thus causing emergency situations," comments G. Petrikas.
The insurance expert points out that roundabouts often cause stress for less experienced or unfamiliar drivers. Therefore, they are advised to watch other drivers driving on the roundabout and assess their possible actions. Inattentive drivers are often "hunted" by scammers on roundabouts.
"Analyzing the cases of artificially caused traffic accidents, we see that fraudulent drivers often give the right of way to another driver, although they should use it themselves - they stop briefly, pass the driver and then deliberately cause an accident. Therefore, the most important rule when driving at a roundabout is to always observe road markings and follow them," G. Petrikas emphasizes.
According to data from Lietuvos Draudimas, in 2024, a total of more than 200 accidents occurred at the capital's roundabouts, resulting in a total loss of 319 thousand euros.
