'MythBusters' Test Out Roundabout Theory

"A triumph of efficiency, or compared to the good old, American four-way, a catastrophic circus of congestion?"

What might command such descriptors? The oft-talked about roundabout, coming soon to 183rd and Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park.

Officials say the roundabout will help cut back on traffic problems, which sees traffic converge from First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park Convention Center, and I-80. The roundabout funnels drivers around a center island, only allowing righthand turns.

But MythBusters hosts and special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman don't take anyone's word for it—they put theories, rumors and claims to the test on the Discovery Channel. 

The hosts tried out both methods of passage, by setting up a marked, four-way intersection with traffic barriers, clocking how many cars crossed the intersection in both scenarios. 
 
The results? At a four-way stop, 385 drivers passed through in 15 minutes—a rate of more than 1 car every 2.5 seconds. 

And at the roundabout? 460 cars in 15 minutes. 

For more, check out their video.