lane markings - solid white lines

[DizBelle]

Is it legal to cross solid white lines?

The drivers handbook for my state says: "Crossing is prohibited where there is a pavement marking of double solid white lines."

This would include the double white lines for a merge of an on ramp to a highway. A picture of this is along side the above statement in the handbook.

Do you cross these solid white lines?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

No...

I'm usually accelerating anyway. Can't stand it when drivers cut me off from front or behind b/c they are too impatient to follow the rules of the road.

 

[DizBelle]

No...

I'm usually accelerating anyway. Can't stand it when drivers cut me off from front or behind b/c they are too impatient to follow the rules of the road.

I'm with you but I don't think that many believe that this is actually the rule.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

No...

I'm usually accelerating anyway. Can't stand it when drivers cut me off from front or behind b/c they are too impatient to follow the rules of the road.

That drives me bananas when there's a line of people getting on interstate (or any road) and someone behind everyone else crosses the solid white line and starts passing everyone that will be trying to merge as soon as it's not solid anymore. Happens every single day on my way home from work. Lines here have to be dashed to be able to cross.

One of the worst exits with accidents in my area (Hampton Roads, VA) has a solid LONG white line (to get people to merge sooner than right at the exit). There's accidents constantly from people cutting other people off and then everyone's slamming on brakes. So they decided to put down a second solid line . Um, I think people that cross solid white lines don't care if you put 50 of them down. If they want to go across, they will (and the amount of accidents haven't decreased there).

In the worst areas for accidents around here where there's solid white lines there's usually quite a few signs that say not to cross the white line.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm with you but I don't think that many believe that this is actually the rule.

To my knowledge, I think I knew it was a rule and may have jumped a lane change right at the tip where it is about to change...(like half the car is on solid and half is on broken line....)

But in a writing class in college, we had to tell a funny story and this girl told about a time she got pulled over for doing just that. But the cop said she had "cut the apex" or something like that--so the humor was, he was trying to tell her why she was being pulled over and she had no idea what he was talking about.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

There's a section of highway here where there is traffic coming from three directions (2 smaller interstates merging from both the right and left into the larger main highway). All 4 lanes are painted with solid white lines; there are signs on both sides saying "STAY IN LANE" and all of the lanes themselves have "STAY IN LANE" painted in them.

Nobody stays in their lane...

 

[Christine]

I *think* it's illegal.

In my area of northern VA they are doing TONS of road construction on the beltway--to the point that lanes are shifting and doing weird stuff out of the usual, or lanes have gotten very narrow. In many places on the interstate, they have gotten rid of the dashed white line and gone to solid white lines to stop simple lane changes in those areas. Apparently they feel that lane changes are risky at that point.

I don't change lanes in these areas but many people still are. I'm assuming they shouldn't be.

 

[daughtersrus]

I believe that it's illegal to cross a solid line. White lines divide traffic going in the same direction and yellow traffic going in opposite direction.

As a matter of fact, a friend of ours was involved in an accident while turning into a business entrance. The street that he was turning off of was a traditional "business street" with lots of restaurants, gas stations, strip malls... All of the roads around here (suburbs of Chicago) like this are divided by two solid yellow lines. Because of this, it's technically illegal to cross the lines to enter the business on your left but people do it all of the time. Some have turn lanes for streets but the only way to legally enter the business is for it to be on your right.Sure enough, the back of his car was hit by another driver. Our friend was issued the ticket for crossing the double yellow solid line. The cop told the man that hit him that if it had not been a solid line, he would have gotten the ticket for not stopping to avoid the accident (because it was the very back of DF's car).

The cop said that although people do it all of the time, it's illegal to cross any solid line, regardless of the color.

 

[FireDancer]

Here a solid white line means you can not change lanes. They are used on freeway on ramps but also as you approach highway intersections. Lets say you are traveling on I-71 North. There is a place where the two right lanes are for exiting from I-71 and entering I-490. About 1/4 mile before the exit the lines change to solid to keep people from making last minute lane changes.

When lanes shift they will often go from dashed to solid until the shift is done and then change back to dashed.

Most people ignore the rule but you can get ticketed for it here. There are times when I am accelerating onto a highway and see an opening so I take it a little early. I don't do it often though because there is a lot of road debris that builds up in that area since it isn't used often.

 

[hopemax]

In the Phoenix area, crossing a white line, as you are entering the highway is a point of interest for highway patrol. They'll ignore lots of stuff at times, but not that. There had been some deaths/major injuries sustained by officers who were parked in the triangle area while providing assistance in accidents/disabled vehicles by cars who were impatient to merge.

But I also saw a car get pulled over for it, here in CO. I was in the process of merging, when the car behind me, crossed the white line. I don't know what he was thinking there were 4 patrol cars set up, 2 with cars pulled over already. It was like they were just waiting for the cars to merge incorrectly.

 

[sbell111]

Is it legal to cross solid white lines?

The drivers handbook for my state says: "Crossing is prohibited where there is a pavement marking of double solid white lines."

This would include the double white lines for a merge of an on ramp to a highway. A picture of this is along side the above statement in the handbook.

Many years ago, my wife got a ticket for doing that (it was an off-ramp). I take that off-ramp every morning on my way to work. In the time that I am waiting on the ramp, not less than 20 cars pass me while making their own lanes through the 'double lined' area.