Michigan driving lesson · Signs, Signals, and Pavement Markings
White pavement markings
A 3-minute lesson from the Michigan course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Pavement markings are white or yellow and warn, regulate and inform. White lines separate lanes moving in the same direction; yellow lines separate opposite directions.
Know the rule
On roads with more than one lane in one direction, broken white lines separate the lanes. Don't straddle them.
Figure 5.1: Broken white lines separate same-direction lanes
Know the rule
Solid white lines (fog lines) mark the right edge of the road. They also separate same-direction lanes where lane changes are dangerous — sharp curves, freeway acceleration and deceleration lanes. Don't cross them; crossing to pass is illegal.
Crosswalks are marked by solid white lines across the pavement or white stripes in the direction of traffic, at intersections and sometimes between them. Stop behind the crosswalk line.
Stop lines are wide white lines across a lane showing where to stop. With no stop line or crosswalk, stop before entering the intersection. Either way, make sure you can see traffic from all directions.
Wide white arrows show lane use. In Figure 5.5, the far-right lane is right turn only and the next lane is right or straight; right turns from the other two lanes are illegal.
Bicycle lanes are reserved exclusively for bicyclists. Green paint marks conflict points like intersections and driveways. It's illegal to use a bike lane to drive, pass, turn right, park, wait for someone or make a delivery.
A solid white line separates your lane from the freeway acceleration lane beside you. Stay in your lane — solid white means lane changes there are considered dangerous.
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 broken white lines on a multi-lane road indicate?
They separate opposing traffic
They separate lanes moving the same direction
They mark the road's right edge
They mark a lane you may never leave
Answer: They separate lanes moving the same direction
On roads with more than one lane moving in one direction, broken white lines separate the traffic lanes.
