houldsworth1

I belong to a motorcycle club that is well known for spirited rides out on the twisty backroads. Where necessary they have been known to overtake on double-yellows - something that on a good bike is near instant anyway (think your car plus).

Since the area around here often has roads that have double yellow the entire length (even on the bits safe to pass on) I was very interested to hear that overtaking on the double-yellow is not actually illegal.

The article (link below) is of particular interest here since the author says "The Warrior's advice: Don't do it. Unless, of course, you're piloting a Porsche 911."

Check out this:

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-...-newslocal-hed

Barry

teflon_jones

interesting. in MA it's definitely illegal. i guess it depends on how the law is written and where you are. it sounds like in PA there must be a sign too. traffic laws vary from state to state and even within the state. one simple example: it's illegal to make a turn on red in manhattan, regardless of anything and everything. however, police are the last people you should be asking about the legality of road markings. they really only know the basics. for instance, ask any cop what the "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices" (MUTCD) is. i bet they've never heard of it. this is the document published by the US Dept of Transportation that specifies all of the legal road signs in the US and what they mean.

in the end, it's stupid to pass on a double yellow, regardless of where you are or what you're driving. other drivers aren't expecting it and you could easily hurt yourself or others.

houldsworth1

A lot of people make assumptions about laws. For example in the U.K. they have solid double white lines. Most people believe this means no overtaking - it actually means "do not cross this line". If you are riding a motorcycle (which I do a lot) there are a lot of times when you can overtake without crossing the line.

I would agree with your statement about it being stupid were it not for the fact that here in NJ and most of the surrounding states the solid double yellow line seems to be applied without any regard to whether it is safe to pass - they simply start at the beginning of the road and go to the end.

I could find you many, many examples of places where passing is very safe, particularly when using a powerful vehicle such as my bike or the 911.

To my view careful application of road markings should give people an indication of the relative danger. More paint = more danger. Having 40 miles of road with double yellow along the whole length is - to me - crying wolf and might lead people that are stuck behind Mr. Leafpeeper doing 20-mph under the limit to overtake where it really is unsafe.

Just my $0.02 but based upon real world experience and a lot of miles.

Barry

Moogle

the double yellow line is a no-room-for-interpretation law, no passing

thats why its there. double/single dotted yellow lines are allowed for passing

(these are universal USA laws, that apply to all states).

passing is allowed on dotted lines, and not on solid lines, that doesn't mean people don't do it when theres a LONG empty road ahead and a 25mph moron in front of you.

houldsworth1

Did you actually read the link? You might find it interesting.

teflon_jones

moogle has a good point, road markings are defined at the national level, not the state level. and what they mean is also defined at the national level for safety in interstate commerce. i think the cop in that article is just plain wrong. like i said before, a cop is the LAST person you should ask about traffic laws. they really don't know crap!

PedalFaster

Washington State's driver guide is pretty unequivocal:

I break speed limits as much as the next guy, but I always observe road markings -- seems much more dangerous to me to ignore those.

Steve

houldsworth1

That's probably because you don't live in NJ. NJ has mile after mile of long straight road with low speed limits and double yellow the whole length (and some of them are very long). You will never convince me that this is a valid practise.

Markings on the road are supposed to tell you that something is dangerous - this is telling me that overtaking is dangerous - period - and should never, ever be done. Does that sound reasonable to you?

Barry

PorscheDoc

Yes it does sound reasonable on those roads. They are marked like that for a reason, probably due to large amounts of traffic accidents. Like it was said before, it is a federal law, not the states decision.

Per the New Jersey State Driving Manual:

"Do not pass when there is a solid line on your side, this is not only illegal, but very unsafe."

PorscheDoc

Additional from the NJ Handbook:

"Do not pass...

When a sign tells you not to pass or there is a solid yellow line on your side of the center line marking."

WER

"like i said before, a cop is the LAST person you should ask about traffic laws. they really don't know crap!"

Sort of a harsh generalization, don't you think?

Drewster67

In AZ - the dble yellow is wacked - You cross it to pass - it's a fine. You cross it to turn left - it's Okay? WTF?

Ask me how I know?

brianh

This reminds me of another double yellow situation...

My understanding was that you could not cross the double yellow to move in our out of a car pool lane. One is supposed to wait for the broken white line further along the road. Am I right?

Seems to me that that traffic rule is largely ignored in Ca. Now I'm not sure if it ever was actually a rule.

Anyone know?

EridanMan

Here in California, I've been delighted to see that there are actually designated Pull-Offs, and it is a state law that slower vehicles must pull off to let a faster vehicle by.

Now, granted, not everyone pays attention, but enough do (and there are just enough passing lanes on rt. 1, the pacific coast highway) that I was actually able to maintain a satisfying clip for almost 120 miles down the coast... It made for a much more pleasant drive.

Conor

I know in VT that the double yellow line is a suggestion. I'm about 99% sure on that. It is basiclly saying, "we don't recomend you pass here, but you won't get a ticket if you do"

Conor