Pavement markings — Maryland Permit Test
Pavement markings on the Maryland permit test — 13 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
A single broken white line separates lanes where all traffic is going the same direction, and crossing from one lane to the other is permitted.
White means everybody beside you is going your way, so a lane change costs you nothing head-on.
Single Broken - White Separates lanes where all traffic is going in the same direction, and crossing from one lane to the other is permitted.
A single broken yellow line separates lanes where vehicles travel in opposite directions, and passing with care is permitted in either direction. It is the center line on two-lane, two-way roads.
The color tells you at a glance whether anything is coming the other way.
Single Broken - Yellow Separates lanes where vehicles are traveling in opposite directions, and passing with care is permitted in either direction.
A single solid white line marks the right edge of the road, and where it separates lanes going the same direction, lane changing is discouraged.
The edge line tells you where the road stops and the shoulder starts, in the dark or in the rain.
Single Solid - White Marks the right edge of the road.
A single solid yellow line marks the left edge on divided highways, one-way roads and ramps.
On a divided road the yellow line is the inside edge, nearest the traffic coming the other way.
Marks left edge lines on divided highways, one-way roads, and ramps.
Double side-by-side solid yellow lines separate traffic going in opposite directions and passing is not allowed either way, though you may make a left turn across them, for example into a driveway.
The lines mark road where nobody can see far enough ahead to pass safely.
You may make a left turn across a double solid yellow line. For example, when turning into a driveway.
Double side-by-side solid white lines separate lanes going the same direction where you are not allowed to change lanes, and may separate general lanes from carpool lanes.
The lane beyond runs to its own rules, and you may join it only where it is meant to be joined.
Double (side-by-side) Solid - White Separates lanes where all traffic is going in the same direction and you are not allowed to change lanes.
Double side-by-side broken yellow lines mark the edges of reversible lanes, where traffic flows one way at some times and the other way at others.
The lane you used this morning may be pointed at you this evening.
Double (side-by-side) Broken - Yellow Marks the edges of reversible lanes
A solid line beside a broken yellow line is used where passing is allowed in one direction only: allowed from the side with the broken line, not from the side with the solid line.
Your own side of the line is the one that decides, and the solid side cannot see far enough.
Allowed for traffic on the side of the broken line. • Not allowed for traffic on the side of the solid line.
A stop line is a white, solid line showing where a vehicle must stop for a stop sign or a red traffic signal.
Stopping past the line puts your hood where somebody is walking.
Stop Line White, solid line that shows where a vehicle must stop for a STOP sign or red traffic signal.
Yield lines are rows of small triangles across the lane showing where a vehicle must yield to other vehicles or to people crossing.
It puts the give-way point on the road itself, where you are already looking.
Yield Lines Rows of small triangles across the lane that show where a vehicle must yield to other vehicles or pedestrians.
SCHOOL and RxR markings painted on the road warn that you are approaching a school area or a railroad crossing.
You are already looking at the road, which is exactly where a warning is easiest to catch.
'SCHOOL' and 'RxR' markings to warn that you are approaching school areas and railroad crossings.
A single dotted yellow or white line continues lane lines through an intersection, and drivers in the intersection should stay inside the markings.
The dotted line is what keeps two turning lanes from drifting into each other mid-crossing.
Single Dotted– Yellow or White Continues lane lines through intersections.
Shared-use lane markings alert drivers that bicyclists may be on the road, tell bicyclists where to ride, and discourage riding in the wrong direction.
It marks a lane where a rider has to take the middle, so a squeeze past has nowhere to go.
Alert drivers that bicyclists may be on the road, • Tell bicyclists where to ride, and • Discourage biking in the wrong direction.
On the test
What does a single broken white line mean?
Same direction, and you may change lanes. White means everybody beside you is going your way, so a lane change costs you nothing head-on. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.24: “Single Broken - White Separates lanes where all traffic is going in the same direction, and crossing from one lane to the other is permitted.”
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
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Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Maryland Driver's Manual, published by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-06.