Always drive on the right side of a two-lane highway except when passing. If the road has four or more lanes with two-way traffic, drive in the right lanes except when overtaking and passing.
Left lanes on some interstate roads are reserved for car pool vehicles with two or more occupants in the car – watch for diamond signs in the median. The center lane of a three-lane or five-lane highway is used only for turning left.
If you see red reflectors facing you on the lane lines, you are on the wrong side of the road. Get into the proper lane immediately. If you see red reflectors on the lines on the edge of the road, you are on the wrong freeway ramp. Pull over immediately! Red reflectors always mean you are facing traffic the wrong way and could have a head-on collision.
Lines, symbols and words are often painted on a roadway to help direct drivers and control traffic flow. You must know what the different lines and colors mean and obey them, as you would traffic signs or signals.
White and yellow lines are used along pavement edges and between lanes to keep vehicles in line. These lines may be solid or broken – long dashes — single or double.
Roadway markings are painted on the pavement and curbs to provide warning and direction. They can be lines, symbols, letters, or words. Roadway markings define where lanes are and how they may be used, regulate traffic and parking, and warn of approaching dangers. Like signs and signals, they have colors that mean different things. Unless you are turning, exiting a highway or changing lanes, always stay between the lines marking your lane.
White Traffic Lines
Broken or dotted white lines separate traffic moving in the same direction and may be crossed when changing lanes or merging. Solid white lines are used to separate driving lanes from the shoulder of the road or a bicycle lane, and to mark fixed obstacles such as bridge supports on one-way roads. Solid white lines should never be crossed. Double solid white line separates two lanes of traffic going in the same direction. Crossing a double solid white line is prohibited. Special white lines or chevrons indicate the “neutral area” between freeway lanes and on ramps and off-ramps.
Yellow Traffic Lines
Yellow lines separate traffic going in opposite directions on a two-way road. They may be solid or broken, or a combin
ation of solid and broken yellow lines. They may also be presented as single or double lines. If two-way traffic is separated by an island/divider, the left side of the roadway will be marked with a single yellow line.
Solid yellow lines also mark obstacles in the center of a two-way road.
To avoid driving the wrong way against oncoming traffic, stay to the right of the yellow line(s). You can temporarily move to the left side of a yellow line only under the following circumstances:
- When you are instructed to do so by law enforcement or emergency personnel
- When temporary markers are used to create a detour or to force you to drive in a temporary lane on the other side of the roadway
- When you are passing another vehicle going your direction on a two-lane undivided highway, if passing is allowed
- When the right half of the roadway is closed to traffic because of construction or repair
- When the road is not sufficiently wide
- When you are making a lawful left turn
Some jurisdictions allow you to turn left across double-yellow lines in certain situations, but when in doubt, never turn across double-yellow lines.
The pattern of solid and dashed yellow lines used on a roadway indicates whether passing is permitted. No passing is allowed if there are two solid yellow lines. If a solid and a broken yellow line appear together, passing is allowed if there are no oncoming cars and you are next to the broken line; passing is not allowed if you are next to the solid line. In some jurisdictions, it is legal for you to cross a solid yellow line when passing if the line was broken when you started to pass. If there is only one broken yellow line and no oncoming cars, passing is allowed.
Reality check – Old Lane Markings
When roads are repainted or new lanes are added, sometimes the old roadway markings are not completely removed. Watch out for other drivers that move into your lane because they are following the old markings.