Lone Tree, Colo -- The most extreme situation was played out in National Lampoon's "European Vacation" as Clark Griswold drove round and round and around a traffic circle for hours, not able to exit through traffic.

The city of Lone Tree has two much smaller and less crowded roundabouts in the new development west of Sky Ridge Medical Center. After several incidents and complaints about the traffic circles, the Lone Tree Police Department is trying to help the public learn how to use the roundabouts and reduce the number of accidents and close calls.

"When they were first constructed they were used well because there was no striping. Since the new striping, there has been confusion. They go in, not yielding to the drivers in the roundabout, they're not paying attention to the signs or even the striping on the lanes," said Lone Tree Police Sgt. Scott Cavenah.

Earlier this year, Lone Tree painted new striped directional areas on the road and erected new directional signs ahead of the roundabouts. Soon after, Lone Tree police said, is when the confusion problems started.

"The new painted median area is designed to kick you into that outside lane so you have to make those turns. You shouldn't be able to go completely around in a full circle like in the movie European Vacation," said Cavenah.

According to Wikipedia a roundabout is defined as a type of circular junction in which road traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. The intent is to allow traffic to keep moving through an intersection without stopping at a signal or sign. But some drivers who are not used to roundabouts can have problems knowing when to get in and how to get out.

"It's just a matter of time, you will see these more and more. It's a nice traffic calming device. It's less expensive than putting a traffic control light up and we can get a lot more traffic through there than if we put a light up," said Cavenah.

Douglas County is in discussions about constructing several roundabouts in other areas of the county. One area would be on either end of Happy Canyon Road at the I-25 as well as at the Santa Fe interchanges. Lone Tree police are concerned with potentially thousands of new drivers using the new roundabouts the risk for accidents and injuries will rise.

"People in the roundabout have the right-of-way. That is the key. Pay attention to the signs as you approach and know where you want to get out. Like anything the more familiar you get the better you'll be able to work with them," Cavenah said.

Drivers can be cited for failure to yield in a roundabout. The citation counts as a four-point violation with a fine of $100 plus a $10 victim assistance fee.

Here are some tips on how to use a roundabout.