Broken yellow lines are used on streets and highways to:
- Indicate no passing zones.
- Separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction.
- Separate lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions. ✓
Answer: C. Separate lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions.
Broken yellow lines separate lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions.
Why this is the answer
The handbook puts yellow lines at the center of a two-way road and says a broken yellow line means you may pass when the broken line is next to your lane and it is safe. It describes white lines as marking lanes going in the same direction. So a broken yellow line is the center marking that divides traffic moving in opposite directions, while allowing passing when conditions permit.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Indicate no passing zones. — A broken yellow line is not a no-passing marking; the handbook says you may pass when the broken line is next to your lane and it is safe.
- B. Separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction. — Lanes moving in the same direction are separated by white lines, including broken white lines, not by broken yellow lines.
Remember it
Yellow lines divide opposite directions; white lines divide same-direction lanes. A break in the yellow means passing may be allowed when safe.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 6: Navigating the Roads, p. 13