Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Road Markings

A broken white line runs along the right edge of the roadway between the through lane and an exit ramp. What does it permit a driver to do?

Row of short white dashes running horizontally near the bottom of dark pavement, with empty roadway above and below.
  1. A.
    Change lanes across it, into or out of the auxiliary lane, when safe. Correct
  2. B.
    Stay in the through lane; the edge line marks a hard boundary.
  3. C.
    Pass slower through traffic on the right using the auxiliary lane.
  4. D.
    Drive on the paved shoulder outside the marked lanes.
The Why

The answer is "Change lanes across it, into or out of the auxiliary lane, when safe."

A broken white edge line marks the boundary between a through lane and an auxiliary lane like an exit ramp, and the broken pattern means you may cross it when it is safe, in either direction. A solid white edge line, by contrast, marks a crossing as discouraged, and double solid white lines mark it as prohibited. Drivers who first learned the shoulder edge line, a solid white marking the road's outer edge, often carry that 'do not cross' habit over to every white edge line and never stop to check whether this line's pattern is broken.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Stay in the through lane; the edge line marks a hard boundary.

A broken pattern permits crossings; a solid white line is used where crossing is discouraged, and double solid white lines are used where crossing is prohibited. This answer carries the 'never cross a white edge line' habit from the solid shoulder edge line to every white edge line, without checking whether this line's pattern is broken.

C. Pass slower through traffic on the right using the auxiliary lane.

An auxiliary lane on the right serves an exit, entrance, or right-turn movement, not general passing on the right. This answer applies the 'use any open lane to pass' habit from multi-lane freeways, ignoring that this striping reserves the lane for a specific exit or entrance movement.

D. Drive on the paved shoulder outside the marked lanes.

The line marks the boundary of an auxiliary travel lane, and the shoulder sits outside that lane. This answer treats a broken pattern as license to drive anywhere it appears, without checking that this line separates two travel lanes rather than the roadway from the shoulder.

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.06 (Broken White Edge Line)..

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