You may cross a double yellow line to pass another vehicle, if the yellow line next to:
- The other side of the road is a solid line.
- Your side of the road is a broken line. ✓
- The other side of the road is a broken line.
Answer: B. Your side of the road is a broken line.
You may cross the double yellow line to pass when the broken yellow line is on your side of the road.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says a broken yellow line means you may pass if that broken line sits next to your driving lane, and only when it is safe. The rule therefore turns on the line beside you, not the line beside oncoming traffic. If your side has the broken line, the marking permits passing; if your side is solid, the handbook tells you not to pass when there is only one lane in your direction.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. The other side of the road is a solid line. — A solid line on the other side of the road does not make passing legal when the line next to your lane is not broken.
- C. The other side of the road is a broken line. — A broken line on the other side of the road does not give you permission to pass, because the handbook looks at whether the broken line is next to your driving lane.
Remember it
Look at the line beside your tires, not the far line: broken beside you means passing is allowed when safe.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 6: Navigating the Roads, p. 13