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New Jersey driving lesson · Signs, Signals, and Road Markings

Road markings

A 3-minute lesson from the New Jersey course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Signs, Signals, and Road Markings
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
218, 219

Lines, arrows and symbols painted on the road carry the same force of law as signs and signals. Yellow separates opposite directions; white separates lanes going the same way. Solid usually means don't cross, dashed means you may.

Know the rule

Road markings have the same force of law as signs or traffic signals.

Handbook p. 218 ↗

Reading the lines

Reading the lines
MarkingMeaning
Yellow center linesSeparate traffic going in opposite directions
White linesSeparate same-direction lanes; show road edges
White dashed linesSeparate lanes on multi-lane highways
Dashed line on your side of centerPassing permitted when safe
Solid line on your side of centerDo not pass
Double yellow and white solid linesNo passing; stay in lane; keep right if slow
Road arrowsWith signs, show the direction you must take
Handbook p. 218 ↗

Know the rule

With a solid yellow line and a dashed yellow line: if the solid line is on your side, don't pass. Pass only if the dashed line is on your side, and finish before the dashed line becomes solid.

Handbook p. 219 ↗

Know the rule

Edge lines separate the shoulder from the travel lane and show the edge of the highway; yellow edge lines do this as well.

Handbook p. 219 ↗

Know the rule

White crosswalks mark pedestrian crossing areas. Where stop lines are missing, stop before the crosswalk when a sign, signal or pedestrian requires you to stop.

Handbook p. 219 ↗

Know the rule

White stop lines show where to stop at stop signs or traffic signals.

Handbook p. 219 ↗

Know the rule

White special markings such as STOP AHEAD, SCHOOL and R X R alert you to special conditions.

Handbook p. 219 ↗

Passive vs. active railroad warnings

Passive: pavement markings, signs and crossbucks. Active: flashing red lights, ringing bells and lowered gates.

Handbook p. 219 ↗

HOV lane

A high occupancy vehicle lane reserved for certain vehicles or ones carrying multiple riders, marked with white diamonds; posted signs give its hours.

Handbook p. 219 ↗
HOV lane
HOV lane sign: 3+ riders during posted hours

Put it into practice

On a two-lane road, the center has a solid yellow line on your side and a dashed line on the other. You may not pass. Drivers coming the other way may pass, because the dashed line is on their side.

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 yellow center lines on a roadway indicate?
  1. Lanes of traffic flowing the same direction are separated
  2. Traffic flowing in opposite directions is separated
  3. The edge of the road
  4. A pedestrian crossing area

Answer: Traffic flowing in opposite directions is separated

Yellow center lines separate traffic flow going in opposite directions.

Handbook p. 218 ↗
On a motorist's side of the center line, what does a dashed line mean?
  1. Passing is never permitted
  2. The lane is closed ahead
  3. It marks a pedestrian crossing
  4. Passing is permitted when safe

Answer: Passing is permitted when safe

A dashed line on a motorist's side of the center line means passing is permitted when it is safe to do so.

Handbook p. 218 ↗
What does a solid line on a motorist's side of the center line mean?
  1. Do not pass
  2. Passing is always permitted
  3. It marks a bike lane
  4. Passing is allowed with care

Answer: Do not pass

A solid line on a motorist's side of the center line means do not pass.

Handbook p. 218 ↗
On a road with a yellow solid line paired with a yellow dashed line, when may a motorist legally pass?
  1. Only when the solid line is on their side of the road
  2. Only when the dashed line is on their side of the road
  3. At any time regardless of which line is on their side
  4. Never, this combination always prohibits passing

Answer: Only when the dashed line is on their side of the road

With a solid-and-dashed yellow line combination, passing is only allowed when the dashed line is on the motorist's side.

Handbook p. 219 ↗
What do white diamond pavement markings typically indicate?
  1. A pedestrian crossing
  2. A no-passing zone
  3. A high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane
  4. A bike lane

Answer: A high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane

White diamonds painted on the pavement indicate high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.

Handbook p. 219 ↗
Double solid yellow and white lines prohibit passing, and a motorist should not cross a solid yellow line to pass.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Double yellow and white solid lines prohibit passing; motorists should not cross the solid yellow line.

Handbook p. 218 ↗
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