Americans trying to use town's first ever roundabout is truly terrifying to watch

Aerial footage has provided a unique insight into the carnage that ensued when a roundabout was installed in a town in Kentucky.

It turns out that, while pretty commonplace in the UK and Europe, roundabouts aren't usually found in America. Watch the chaos unfold here:

This means that, when the relatively unknown road feature is dropped onto a junction across the pond, people seem to get fairly confused - which is fair enough really, because many of us struggle even after growing up with them.

In this instance, authorities placed one at a junction in Rowan County, Kentucky, probably not thinking it would end up going as badly as it did.

In the video, which was shot by Walker Construction last year, cars can be seen taking the wrong exits, or sometimes even heading completely the wrong way around the roundabout.

It's tough for a piece of machinery to look confused, but when you watch the video, you'll see what we mean.

Walker Construction

What's worse, the drivers of the local area aren't happy about it, because they believe that the old four-way stop junction was doing the job perfectly.

To be fair, they probably have a point - especially if this is the way they're planning to use the new junction.

This roundabout was the first to be installed in north-eastern Kentucky, with a local resident called Jason Whisman telling news outlet WYKT: "It's going to throw them for a loop. A complete 360. No doubt about it."

Staff at Walker Construction explained that they only shared the video in the hope of educating people how not to use a roundabout.

It's certainly good for that.

The plan was - according to KYTC - that the roundabout was installed because they are proven to be safer than the other types of junction, particularly in areas that are busy and see a lot of traffic pass through each day.

A transport official recently told local news: "We're looking at a way to reduce the severity of crashes that this intersection has a history of."

Walker Construction

Another driver added: "I'm sure that it's going to take them a while to get used to it, but once they get used to it, I'm sure it's going to work very well."

According to data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, roundabouts cut down on crashes by 38 percent and fatal or incapacitating crashes by 90 percent, by significantly removing the chance of a head-on or T-bone collision.

They are also greener, as cars don't have to stop or start as much when using them.

So, it seems as though people on that side of the pond may just have to get used to them.