Tennessee driving lesson · Turning, Passing & Lane Use
Lane use & special lanes
A 4-minute lesson from the Tennessee course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
'White on your right, yellow on your left' sums up how American roads work: keep right except to pass or turn left. Special lanes — center turn lanes, reversible lanes and reserved lanes — each have their own rules.
Know the rule
On a road with no center line and traffic both ways, give oncoming drivers at least half the road.
Two-lane highways have a broken yellow center line. Four-lane highways have two solid yellow center lines with dashed white lines between same-direction lanes — use the right lane except to pass or turn left.
On a divided highway use the roadway on your right and never cross the median except at an authorized crossover or intersection. In a crossover, keep to its right side; if a car is already waiting there, wait in the left lane with your signal on. Interstates have no crossovers.
Red reflectors facing you on lane lines, or WRONG WAY / DO NOT ENTER signs, mean you're going the wrong way. Red reflectors on edge lines mean you're on the wrong ramp — pull over immediately.
Enter the center turn lane just before your turn. You may turn into it from a side street and wait to merge right. If cars enter from opposite ends, the first one in has the right-of-way.
Dual-use lanes show a turn arrow and a straight arrow — you may turn or go straight, following normal right-of-way rules unless there's a protected arrow.
Reversible lanes, usually marked with double broken yellow lines, change direction at different times. Check the overhead signals: a steady yellow X means the lane is changing — get out when safe.
Reserved lanes (often marked with a white diamond) are only for the vehicles shown — buses, bikes or HOVs — unless you're turning across them within the next half block. 'HOV 2' means at least two people in the car.
You want to turn left into a store on a five-lane road. Signal, move into the center turn lane just before the store, and wait there for a gap. Don't drive a block in it to reach the next traffic light.
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.
On a four-lane highway with two-way traffic, in which lane should you normally drive?
The far left lane at all times
Any lane, since all lanes are equal
The left lane, away from merging traffic
The right lanes, except when passing or turning left
Answer: The right lanes, except when passing or turning left
On a four-or-more lane roadway, drive in the right lanes except when passing another vehicle or turning left.
