Driver's License Test Prep
Oregon Practice Regulatory Signs

What does a Center Lane Turn Only sign mean?

On a dark roadway, four horizontal yellow lines run left to right: a solid line above a broken (dashed) line near the top, and a broken line above a solid line near the bottom, framing a center lane between the two broken lines.
  1. A.
    The center lane is open for passing in either direction.
  2. B.
    The center lane is reserved for through traffic only.
  3. C.
    The center lane is reserved for emergency vehicles only.
  4. D.
    The center lane is shared for left turns from both directions. Correct
The Why

The answer is "The center lane is shared for left turns from both directions."

A center turn lane is shared by drivers turning left from both directions of travel. You enter just before your turn, wait for a gap, and complete the turn from the lane. It is not a passing lane and not a through lane. Driving in the center turn lane to travel straight is illegal in Oregon. Reading the two-way turn lane as a passing lane, ignoring that travel within it is illegal, is what pulls drivers toward A.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. The center lane is open for passing in either direction.

Passing in a two-way center turn lane is illegal; the lane is only for turning. This answer treats the two-way left turn lane as a passing lane; the manual restricts the center lane to left turns from both directions, and travel within it is illegal.

B. The center lane is reserved for through traffic only.

Through traffic uses the regular travel lanes; the center lane is for turning. This answer misreads the sign as designating a through-traffic lane; the manual says the center lane is for left turns, not for going straight.

C. The center lane is reserved for emergency vehicles only.

Emergency vehicles do not have a designated lane; you yield by pulling to the right. This answer confuses the center turn lane with an emergency-vehicle lane; the manual says drivers yield to emergency vehicles by pulling to the right, not by leaving a center lane open.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Regulatory Signs in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Regulatory Signs – Other," p.9..

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