Pavement Markings
Pavement markings carry the same rules as signs but in paint, and the Hawaii exam tests whether you can read color, line style, and intersection markings quickly. Items ask which side may pass, where to stop, what a painted island means, and how a shared center turn lane differs from a travel lane.
Color logic
- Yellow separates traffic moving in opposite directions and marks the left edge of divided highways and ramps.
- White separates traffic moving the same direction, marks the right edge, and paints stop lines, crosswalks, arrows, and symbols.
- Blue marks accessible parking; red marks fire lanes and no-parking zones; green marks bike lanes.
Lines you may and may not cross
- Broken (dashed) line: you may cross when it is safe.
- Solid line: do not cross.
- Double solid yellow: no passing in either direction.
- Solid on your side with a broken line on the other: passing is allowed only for the side that has the broken line.
- Two-way left-turn lane (alternating solid and broken yellow in the center): for left turns into and out of driveways and side streets only - never a travel or passing lane.
Intersection markings
A stop line is the solid white bar; stop behind it, not on it. Crosswalks are either two transverse lines or blocks of continental stripes. A yield line is a row of white triangles, sometimes called shark teeth. Painted arrows assign lane use, and a painted island filled with diagonal white stripes - a gore - is not drivable. Hawaii also paints SPEED HUMP lettering and chevrons ahead of raised humps and raised crosswalks.
Worked example
On a two-lane road the yellow line beside you is broken and the far line is solid, and the car ahead is crawling. Reasoning: the broken line on your side authorizes passing; the solid line on the other side restricts only the opposing direction. You may pass when the oncoming lane is clear and you can see far enough to complete the maneuver, then return to your lane before the broken line becomes solid again.
Traps that cost marks
- Using a two-way left-turn lane to pass or to travel long distances.
- Stopping on top of the crosswalk or the stop line instead of behind it.
- Misreading which side of a double yellow line is broken.
- Driving across a striped gore or a painted median.
- Assuming a painted arrow is advisory when it actually assigns the lane's only permitted movement.