Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Road Markings

What do two solid yellow lines painted down the center of a two-way road require of a driver?

Two parallel solid yellow lines running lengthwise down the center of a dark roadway.
  1. A.
    Stay to the right of the double yellow and do not cross it to pass. Correct
  2. B.
    Pass on the left when the oncoming lane is clear of traffic.
  3. C.
    Cross the lines only to pass a slower vehicle ahead of you.
  4. D.
    Traffic in your direction may pass, but oncoming traffic may not.
The Why

The answer is "Stay to the right of the double yellow and do not cross it to pass."

Two parallel solid yellow lines mark a no-passing zone that binds both directions, so a driver stays right of them and does not cross to overtake. The choice that permits a pass whenever the oncoming lane is clear applies broken-yellow logic to a marking whose second solid stripe was added precisely to withdraw that permission.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Pass on the left when the oncoming lane is clear of traffic.

A broken center line invites this reading, but doubling the yellow marking removes that permission from both directions of travel. Applies broken-yellow-line logic to a double-solid marking, treating the second stripe as decorative rather than as the mark that withdraws passing permission.

C. Cross the lines only to pass a slower vehicle ahead of you.

Passing a slower vehicle is precisely what a double solid yellow forbids; the marking bans crossing for that reason from either lane. Extends the narrow driveway or alley exception the manual names into a general allowance to cross whenever a slow vehicle ahead makes overtaking feel reasonable.

D. Traffic in your direction may pass, but oncoming traffic may not.

The rule is symmetric: both directions face the same no-passing prohibition, not just the oncoming side of the roadway. Confuses the double solid yellow with a solid-and-broken combination, where the solid side blocks passing and the broken side permits it.

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 (Double Solid Yellow Center Line)..

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