A 3-minute lesson from the Vermont course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Lines on the road help you position your car, show when passing is allowed and warn of conditions ahead. Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions, and white lines separate lanes going the same way.
Know the rule
Major highways have yellow center lines that divide the road into travel lanes. Multi-lane highways without a median use double solid lines to separate the two directions.
A center lane shared by traffic from both directions for left turns. It isn't a travel lane. Signal, move in shortly before your turn with your whole vehicle, then turn when clear.
A row of white triangles painted across the lane, pointing toward approaching cars. It shows where to stop if you must yield to pedestrians or other vehicles.
When two lanes turn the same direction, each stays in its own turning path. Multiple lanes may turn at once when lane-use signs or markings permit it. Stay in your lane until the turn is complete.
Follow the direction marked for your lane. From a straight-arrow lane, it's illegal to turn right or left at the intersection. Drive around the block instead.
You're in a lane marked with a straight arrow and realize your street is on the right. Don't cut over at the intersection. Go straight, then find another route or go around the block.
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 does a solid line, or two solid lines, in the road generally mean?
Pass only if it is clear ahead
Pass only during daylight
Both lanes travel the same direction
Do not pass
Answer: Do not pass
If there's a solid line, or two solid lines, it's recommended that you do not pass.
