Lane markings in yellow — California Permit Test

Lane markings in yellow on the California permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

A single solid yellow line marks the center of a road carrying two-way traffic.

Yellow paint means traffic on the far side is coming at you, not going the same way.

A single solid yellow line marks the center of a road with two-way traffic.

California Driver’s Handbook, p.13

Do not pass the vehicle in front of you where there is one lane going your direction and a solid yellow line on your side of the road.

Passing there puts you in the lane oncoming traffic is using, and you cannot see far enough to know.

Do not pass a vehicle in front of you if there is only one lane of traffic going your direction and a solid yellow line on your side of the road.

California Driver’s Handbook, p.13

Do not pass over double solid yellow lines, and stay to the right of them.

Two solid lines mean neither side can see far enough ahead to pull out safely.

Do not pass over double solid yellow lines.

California Driver’s Handbook, p.13

You may turn left across a single set of double yellow lines to enter or leave a driveway or private road, or to make a U-turn.

A driveway has to be reachable, so the line bends for a turn across it but not for passing.

Turning left across a single set of double yellow lines to enter or exit a driveway or private road or make a U-turn.

California Driver’s Handbook, p.13

Two sets of solid double yellow lines spaced two or more feet apart are a barrier, and you may not drive on it, turn left across it or make a U-turn across it except at a designated opening.

The paint is standing in for a concrete wall, and drivers who treat it as paint cross into oncoming traffic.

Two sets of solid double yellow lines spaced two or more feet apart are considered a barrier.

California Driver’s Handbook, p.13

A broken yellow line means you may pass when the broken line is next to your driving lane, and only when it is safe.

The gaps say the view ahead is long enough. They do not say the road ahead is empty.

A broken yellow line indicates you may pass if the broken line is next to your driving lane. Only pass when it is safe.

California Driver’s Handbook, p.13

On the test

What does a single solid yellow line mark?

The center of a two-way road. Yellow paint means traffic on the far side is coming at you, not going the same way. California Driver’s Handbook, p.13: “A single solid yellow line marks the center of a road with two-way traffic.”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against California Driver’s Handbook, published by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-21.