District of Columbia driving lesson · Signs, Signals & Pavement Markings
Special lanes: center turn lanes, HOV & yield lines
A 3-minute lesson from the District of Columbia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Some lanes have special jobs: shared center lanes on three-lane roads, HOV lanes for carpools and buses, and yield lines at merge points like roundabouts.
Know the rule
On three-lane roads with traffic in both directions, markings show whether the center lane is for passing or for left turns.
A line of triangles across the roadway, used with a yield sign, marking where you must yield or stop if necessary. Often at the entrance to a roundabout.
During heavy traffic, HOV lanes are reserved for buses, vanpools, carpools, other high occupancy vehicles, motorcycles and certain clean special fuel vehicles.
Barrier-separated HOV lanes are reversible: traffic flows one way at certain times of day and the opposite way at others. A diamond marking may also mean the lane is a bus lane.
You're in a two-way center left-turn lane waiting for a gap to turn into a store. You may use it to line up your turn, but don't drive more than 150 feet in it.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What do double solid white lines typically separate?
A special lane, like an HOV lane
Two-way opposing traffic
A bike lane from a bus lane
Parking spaces from the travel lane
Answer: A special lane, like an HOV lane
Double solid white lines usually separate a special-use lane, like an HOV lane, from ordinary lanes.
