Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Road Markings

A solid yellow line runs along the left side of your travel lane. What does it identify?

A single solid yellow line running lengthwise along the upper edge of a dark roadway.
  1. A.
    The center line separating traffic moving in opposite directions.
  2. B.
    The left edge of the roadway on a divided highway, one-way street, or ramp. Correct
  3. C.
    The right edge of the roadway on any two-lane road.
  4. D.
    A lane a driver may cross to pass when the way ahead is clear.
The Why

The answer is "The left edge of the roadway on a divided highway, one-way street, or ramp."

A solid yellow line along the left side of the travel lane marks the left edge of the roadway on a divided highway, a one-way street, or a ramp. It tells the driver they are at the left boundary of their direction of travel. The trap is the center-line answer. Yellow does separate opposing directions on an undivided two-lane road, and drivers carry that association to any yellow line without checking whether it sits down the middle or along the edge.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. The center line separating traffic moving in opposite directions.

That describes a center line between opposing directions of travel, which is a different marking and a different location on the road. This answer applies the yellow-means-oncoming-traffic rule from undivided roads without checking whether the line runs down the middle or along an edge.

C. The right edge of the roadway on any two-lane road.

The right edge of the roadway is marked with a white line, and this yellow line sits along the driver's left, not the right. This answer assumes every edge line is on the right side and skips over which side of the lane this one actually runs along.

D. A lane a driver may cross to pass when the way ahead is clear.

A solid yellow edge line does not authorize passing; broken yellow markings down the center of a two-way road do that. This answer treats the color yellow as the whole cue and skips over whether the line is solid or broken and where it sits in the lane.

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 (Solid Yellow Left Edge Line)..

More from this topic

Related questions

Free study plan

A free knowledge-test study plan

Pick your state and we'll send a short run of study emails for that test. The printable cheat sheet is free to grab either way.

One email a few times a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.