Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Road Markings

You are on a two-lane road with a single broken yellow centerline. What does the manual say about passing?

A single broken yellow dashed line running lengthwise down the center of a dark roadway.
  1. A.
    Passing is permitted on either side when safe conditions exist. Correct
  2. B.
    Passing is permitted only by the driver in the right lane.
  3. C.
    Passing is prohibited in both directions on this roadway.
  4. D.
    Passing is permitted only during daylight hours.
The Why

The answer is "Passing is permitted on either side when safe conditions exist."

A single broken yellow centerline marks a two-way, two-lane road where drivers in either direction may pass when the road ahead is clear. Choice C is the trap for drivers reaching for the double solid yellow centerline rule, where passing is prohibited in both directions, and misapplying that restriction to a single broken yellow line.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Passing is permitted only by the driver in the right lane.

On a two-lane, two-way road, both directions share the same passing rule. This answer borrows the keep-right lane-discipline convention from multi-lane one-way roads and stamps it onto a two-way centerline's passing rule.

C. Passing is prohibited in both directions on this roadway.

That restriction fits a double solid yellow centerline, not a single broken yellow line. This answer carries the double solid yellow no-passing rule over and applies it to the opposite marking.

D. Passing is permitted only during daylight hours.

Daylight is not the condition for this marking; the rule turns on whether safe conditions exist. This answer falls back on the general driver's-ed habit of saving risky maneuvers for daylight instead of reading the marking's 'safe conditions' rule.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Road Markings in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Pavement Markings," p.22..

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