What does a single dashed yellow line separating traffic mean?
- Drivers may pass if it is safe to do so. ✓
- Both lanes travel in the same direction.
- Drivers may not pass.
- Drivers may pass, even if it could be dangerous.
Answer: A. Drivers may pass if it is safe to do so.
A single dashed yellow line means you may cross it to pass the car ahead of you, but only when it is safe to do so.
Why this is the answer
The handbook explains that yellow lane lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions. For a single broken yellow line, it tells you to stay to the right of the line, and that you may cross it to pass a vehicle ahead only when it is safe. So the line does permit passing, but the permission is conditional: you check that the maneuver is safe first. That is why the answer that allows passing when it is safe matches the handbook.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Both lanes travel in the same direction. — Yellow lines mark lanes moving in opposite directions; lines separating traffic going the same way are white, not yellow.
- C. Drivers may not pass. — The handbook allows crossing a single broken yellow line to pass, so a flat ban on passing does not match this marking.
- D. Drivers may pass, even if it could be dangerous. — The permission to cross is tied to passing only when it is safe, so it does not allow passing when the move could be dangerous.
Remember it
Yellow means oncoming traffic: a broken yellow line still lets you cross, but only after you have checked that the pass is safe.