Ah, winter in Summit County. Along with nature’s frosty splendor, there can be some frightening moments:

• An early morning run down a double-black-diamond sheet of ice
• The threat of avalanches in the backcountry

But, for sheer terror, nothing surpasses the sight of a vehicle with Texas license plates about to slide into a snowy roundabout — with some good ol’ boy or gal at the wheel who has no clue of what they’re doing. 

But it’s really not that hard. Here’s an explanation of the rules from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT.gov/travel/roundabouts):

• “When entering the roundabout, yield to traffic already navigating it”
• “When a safe gap is available, merge into roundabout traffic”

Still unclear? Let’s make it even easier: If you’re entering a roundabout, the vehicles already in the roundabout have the right of way. You must yield to them and wait until they have passed before you enter the roundabout.

Pretty simple, huh? Drive safe, y’all!