Is it legal cross a double solid yellow centerline to pass?
- Yes.
- No. ✓
- If there is no oncoming traffic.
- If the vehicle ahead of you is driving under the speed limit.
Answer: B. No.
No, it is not legal to cross a double solid yellow centerline to pass.
Why this is the answer
The Texas handbook tells drivers not to cross the double yellow line to pass, and it also says not to cross a solid yellow line. A double solid yellow centerline is therefore a no-passing marking, not a suggestion that depends on traffic or on how fast the car ahead is going. If you are driving slower, the handbook says to stay in your lane as much as possible and keep to the right-hand lane. So the legal answer is no: you should not cross that marking to overtake.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Yes. — Choosing yes contradicts the handbook's direct instruction not to cross the double yellow line to pass.
- C. If there is no oncoming traffic. — Clear oncoming traffic does not create an exception, because the handbook's instruction not to cross the double yellow line to pass is not conditioned on traffic being clear.
- D. If the vehicle ahead of you is driving under the speed limit. — A vehicle ahead driving under the speed limit is not an exception; the handbook instead says a slower driver should stay in lane as much as possible and keep right.
Remember it
Think of a double solid yellow line as a wall you keep to the right of.
Official handbook: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers , p. 33