Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Road Markings

A yellow center line has a solid line on your side and a broken line on the side used by oncoming traffic. What does this require of you?

A solid yellow line paired with a broken yellow dashed line running lengthwise down the center of a dark roadway.
  1. A.
    You are not allowed to pass another vehicle. Correct
  2. B.
    You may pass when the way ahead is clear.
  3. C.
    Passing is allowed in either direction when safe.
  4. D.
    Passing is prohibited in both directions.
The Why

The answer is "You are not allowed to pass another vehicle."

Passing is decided by which line sits on your half of the road. A solid line on your side means passing is not allowed; the broken line belongs to oncoming traffic, and their permission does not extend to you. Drivers who pick the "when the way ahead is clear" option fall back on a rural rule of thumb that any open road allows passing, without first checking which line sits on their own side.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. You may pass when the way ahead is clear.

That permission belongs to the driver on the other side of the pair, whose half of the road carries the broken line. This answer falls back on the rural habit of passing whenever an open stretch appears, without first checking which line sits on the driver's own half.

C. Passing is allowed in either direction when safe.

A broken-broken center line lets both directions pass when safe; a solid-and-broken pair only lets one direction pass. This answer applies the broken-broken passing rule to any striping that includes a broken segment, treating the pairing as if the second line were also broken.

D. Passing is prohibited in both directions.

A double solid yellow line bars passing in both directions; the broken line on the other side here means oncoming drivers may still pass when clear. This answer treats a single solid line on the driver's own side as the two-solid pattern, projecting the driver's restriction onto oncoming traffic as well.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Road Markings on the roads of every US state . Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, marking 3B.02 (Broken-and-Solid Yellow Center Line)..

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