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Road Rant: Double Yellow Lines

From chrissy coleman, Featured Contributor
Posted on July 17, 2008
Filed under Misc, Technology

I mean it. Don't cross those lines.

Everyone's got a road pet peeve. For some, the absence of a turn signal from the driver in front of them brings the ire, and for others maybe it's the slow-going cell phone gabber who drives just a hair under the speed limit and is oblivious to the world outside their car. For me, it's the violators of the double-yellow line that get me worked up.

For those who slept through the Department of Motor Vehicles driver's license written test, the double-yellow line is painted on to streets and roadways where making a left-hand turn or passing could be dangerous. A solid, double-yellow line is not an optional "do not turn or pass"—it's a violation to cross over; even more so when your illegal turn or pass causes an accident. Alternatively, in an area where it is safe to make a left-hand turn or pass someone in front of you, the yellow line will be dashed. The dashed line is optional—when it's safe to go in your estimation, make that turn or pass.

Each day I hear my pet peeve in action from the brake squeals of another near-accident in an intersection just around the corner from where I live. A Bank of America was put in about a year ago, and now everybody and their cousin violates double-yellow lines instead of driving around the block to turn into the lot legally, much to chagrin of drivers behind them who approach from an intersection on a green light with only 15 feet left to brake. Compound that with no blinker on that double-yellow jumper and that's when insurance gets involved and front ends and bumpers need bodywork.

Double-yellow lines: Please don't cross them.

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Displaying 1-4 of 4 comments
  • Flag
    From Anonymous
    Commented on February 6, 2009

    Better check out your state laws. It's legal to turn left into private drive ways and such over duoble yellow lines.

  • Flag
    From Anonymous
    Commented on February 20, 2009

    We too have double and double/double yellow lines in Amarillo, Texas.. They are not enforced by our local police department, therefore anyone and everyone violates the double and double/double yellow lines, especially if there is a SONIC across the street on the Left. We use the double and double/double yellow lines as a turn lane here in Texas...Of course we don't have very high IQs out here....This is George Bush's home state & he set the record low IQ back in the 60's...

  • Flag
    From Doug Smith
    Commented on June 22, 2009

    Just to show that you are incorrect as the first poster said here is the actual texas penal code pertaining to no-passing zones.

    §545.055. PASSING TO THE LEFT: PASSING ZONES

    [...] (b) An operator may not drive on the left side of the roadway in a no-passing zone or on the left side of any pavement striping designed to mark a no-passing zone. This subsection does not prohibit a driver from crossing pavement striping, or the center line in a no-passing zone marked by signs only, to make a left turn into or out of an alley or private road or driveway. [...]

  • Flag
    From Anonymous
    Commented on June 29, 2009

    Caif. Law If people go the speed limit and look where there going they wont crash into people going to the Bof A legally :)

    Double Lines 21460. (a) When double parallel solid lines are in place, no person driving a vehicle shall drive to the left thereof, except as permitted in this section. (b) When the double parallel lines, one of which is broken, are in place, no person driving a vehicle shall drive to the left thereof, except as follows:

    (1) That the driver on that side of the roadway in which the broken line is in place may cross over the double line or drive to the left thereof when overtaking or passing other vehicles.

    (2) As provided in Section 21460.5.

    (c) Either of the markings as specified in subdivision (a) or (b) does not prohibit a driver from crossing the marking when (1) turning to the left at any intersection or into or out of a driveway or private road, or (2) making a U-turn under the rules governing that turn, and either of the markings shall be disregarded when authorized signs have been erected designating offcenter traffic lanes as permitted under Section 21657.

    (d) Raised pavement markers may be used to simulate painted lines described in this section when the markers are placed in accordance with standards established by the Department of Transportation.

    Amended Ch. 462, Stats. 1984. Effective January 1, 1985.

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