No passing two lane — District of Columbia Permit Test
No passing two lane on the District of Columbia permit test — 7 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
On a two-lane highway you must not pass where a solid yellow line is on your side of the center of the roadway, or where there are two solid yellow lines.
Solid yellow on your side marks a stretch where the road ahead hides oncoming cars, so crossing it could put you face to face with one.
Where the solid yellow line is on your side of the center of the roadway
On a two-lane highway you must not pass when approaching the top of a hill or on a curve without a sufficient clear view ahead.
Over a hilltop or around a bend an oncoming car is invisible until it is too close to avoid.
When approaching the top of a hill or on a curve and there is not sufficient clear view ahead
On a two-lane highway you must not pass when crossing or within 100 feet of an intersection.
A car can turn out of a side street into the lane you are using to pass, with no time for either of you to stop.
When crossing or within 100 feet of an intersection
On a two-lane highway you must not pass when crossing or within 100 feet of a railroad crossing.
Cars may slow or stop for a train near the tracks, and a passing car can end up stuck on them or hit a stopped car.
When crossing or within 100 feet if a railroad crossing
On a two-lane highway you must not pass when the view is obstructed upon approaching within 100 feet of any bridge, viaduct or tunnel.
A bridge or tunnel narrows the road and blocks your view, so there is nowhere to escape if a car comes the other way.
When the view is obstructed upon approaching within 100 feet of any bridge, viaduct or tunnel
You must not pass on the shoulder of the highway, either to the right or the left.
The shoulder is for stopped cars and emergencies, and a car using it to pass can run into a person changing a flat.
On the shoulder of the highway either to the right or the left
The end of a no-passing zone does not mean it is safe to pass, only that it is lawful to pass when safe.
The end of the zone is just paint; an oncoming car can still be there, so you still have to judge the gap yourself.
The end of a “no-passing zone” does not mean that it is safe to pass, only that it is lawful to pass when safe
On the test
On a two-lane highway, which marking on your side of the center means you must not pass?
A solid yellow line. Solid yellow on your side marks a stretch where the road ahead hides oncoming cars, so crossing it could put you face to face with one. DC Driver Manual, p.71: “Where the solid yellow line is on your side of the center of the roadway”
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.
What it costs
- One payment, once — not a subscription. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel, for an exam you sit one time.
- Free to start: a 10-question test and the first section of cards. No sign-up and no account.
- Paying opens the rest of the cards, unlimited full-length practice tests, and retests built from exactly the questions you got wrong.
- Every level up to Prepared — 3 tests passed in a row.
- Do the work, fail the real exam, and we refund you.
All District of Columbia permit topics
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against DC Driver Manual, published by the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-05.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/DC.pdf (DC Driver Manual (English), Rev. 7/29/2021, District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles, fetched 2026-10-05 from the Wayback Machine's original-bytes capture of dmv.dc.gov; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/DC.pages.txt (the plain pdftotext fixture every citation here was cut from and verified against; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- https://dmv.dc.gov/publication/dc-dmv-automobile-driver-manual (read 2026-10-05; links only the 2023 Issuu flipbooks)
- https://issuu.com/dcdmv/docs/dc_dmv_driver_manual_english_revised_final (the current 2023 edition, read 2026-10-05 from its public page images to diff against the pinned edition; not pinnable)
- https://dmv.dc.gov/service/knowledge-tests (read 2026-10-05; states no count or mark for the knowledge test)
- https://dcregs.dc.gov/Common/DCMR/RuleList.aspx?ChapterNum=18-1 (18 DCMR chapter 1, sections 100-114, read 2026-10-05; section 104 sets what the examination covers and states no figure)
- https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/50-1401.01 (D.C. Code 50-1401.01, read 2026-10-05; requires a knowledge examination and states no figure)