Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Road Markings

What does a white diagonal crosshatched area between an exit ramp and a freeway lane require of you?

A tall, narrow white-outlined triangle on dark pavement, point at the top and widening toward the base, filled with evenly spaced parallel white diagonal stripes.
  1. A.
    Drive through it only if you need to change your mind about exiting.
  2. B.
    In normal driving, stay out of the striped zone and pick a side before the point of the wedge. Correct
  3. C.
    Treat it as a two-way separator between opposing traffic streams.
  4. D.
    Yield to any vehicle already inside the striped zone.
The Why

The answer is "In normal driving, stay out of the striped zone and pick a side before the point of the wedge."

In normal driving, stay out of the striped zone and pick a side before the point of the wedge. The white border and diagonal stripes mark a painted gore separating same-direction traffic, so both sides of the marking carry traffic moving the same way, and the marking is not a travel or decision lane. Drivers who carry the yellow-lines-mean-opposing-traffic rule over to any zone marking they see reach for the two-way separator in C.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Drive through it only if you need to change your mind about exiting.

The striped area is not a decision zone; the rule is to commit to one side before reaching the point of the wedge. This answer treats the crosshatch as a late-exit escape lane, borrowing the habit of drifting across a solid painted line to catch a missed off-ramp.

C. Treat it as a two-way separator between opposing traffic streams.

This crosshatch separates two same-direction lanes; opposing streams get yellow markings, not a white-bordered gore. This answer carries the 'yellow means opposing traffic' rule over to a white-bordered marking and treats any zone-shaped paint as an opposing-direction divider.

D. Yield to any vehicle already inside the striped zone.

The marking is not a merge or priority zone; you keep out of it, and if another vehicle strays in you still avoid a conflict. This answer reads the gore as a merge zone where whoever arrived first has the right to stay, borrowing the roundabout rule about vehicles already inside.

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.25 (White Diagonal Crosshatch (Painted Gore / Channelizing Area))..

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