Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Road Markings

Two broken yellow lines border a center lane with overhead lane-control signals. What authorizes a driver to enter that lane?

Two parallel rows of short yellow dashes running horizontally across dark pavement, stacked one above the other.
  1. A.
    A green arrow on the overhead lane-control signal above that lane. Correct
  2. B.
    A clear gap in oncoming traffic long enough to pass safely.
  3. C.
    A left turn or U-turn the driver is preparing to make.
  4. D.
    A posted speed limit that allows use of a center lane.
The Why

The answer is "A green arrow on the overhead lane-control signal above that lane."

Two broken yellow lines mark a reversible lane whose direction of travel changes by time of day or traffic demand. Enter only when the overhead lane-control signal above the lane shows a green arrow for your direction, never under a red X. Drivers who first learned broken yellow as the passing-allowed line on an ordinary two-way road judge a gap in oncoming traffic instead of looking up at the signal above the lane.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. A clear gap in oncoming traffic long enough to pass safely.

Broken yellow on an ordinary two-way road governs passing, but that rule does not decide entry into a reversible lane; the overhead lane-control signal does. Carries the two-way passing rule for broken yellow over to a reversible lane, treating any broken yellow as the same permissive marking regardless of the signal above.

C. A left turn or U-turn the driver is preparing to make.

The marking pattern alone, or a planned turn by itself, does not authorize entry; the overhead lane-control signal or a posted reversible-lane sign must permit that use. Confuses the double broken yellow of a reversible lane with the solid-outside, broken-inside pattern that marks a two-way left-turn lane.

D. A posted speed limit that allows use of a center lane.

A speed-related sign does not decide whether the reversible lane is open in the driver's direction; the overhead lane-control signal does. Reads authorization from a permanent posted sign, expecting a fixed roadside rule instead of a lane assignment that shifts with time of day.

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.04 (Double Broken Yellow Line (Reversible Lane))..

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