Road Markings and Pavement Markings
Pavement markings carry the same legal weight as signs in most states, and the exam tests color, line pattern, and placement. The central rule is that yellow separates opposite directions and white separates same-direction traffic or marks the roadway edge.
Core rules
- Yellow center lines divide traffic moving in opposite directions. A broken yellow line allows passing when safe; a solid yellow line discourages or prohibits crossing; double solid yellow prohibits passing in both directions.
- A double line with one solid and one broken line means passing is allowed only from the side with the broken line.
- White lines separate lanes traveling the same way. Dashed white lines allow lane changes; solid white lines discourage or prohibit them near intersections and ramps.
- Edge lines: white on the right, yellow on the left edge of a divided highway.
- A wide white stop bar marks the stopping point at a signal or stop sign. Crosswalks may be two parallel lines or a continental pattern of wide bars.
- HOV lanes are marked with a diamond symbol; hatched or chevron areas are not travel lanes.
Worked example
On a two-lane road, the center line is solid yellow on your side and broken on the other. You want to pass a slow truck. The broken line applies to the opposing direction, not to you, so you may not cross the solid yellow to pass. Wait for a section where your side is broken.
Traps
- Reading the nearest line instead of the line on your side of a double yellow.
- Using a hatched area as a turn lane.
- Assuming a crosswalk exists only where it is painted; at an intersection, an unmarked crosswalk still exists.
- Confusing a white edge line with a lane line.