Q&A - Solid Yellow vs Broken Yellow Lines

Question: The provincial driving guide, Learn to Drive Smart, in the yellow lines section, cites:

Broken line -- passing is allowed when safe

Single yellow line -- vehicles travelling in either direction may pass when it is safe

What is the difference?

Yellow Lines vs White Lines

Simply put, yellow lines divide lanes of traffic travelling in opposite directions. White lines divide traffic lanes travelling in the same direction.

Both situations really mean the same thing when we are talking about yellow lines. The Motor Vehicle Act says:

Single Yellow Lines

155 (1) Despite anything in this Part, if a highway is marked with

(c) one single line, broken or solid, the driver of a vehicle must drive the vehicle to the right of the line, except only when passing an overtaken vehicle.

(2) Subsection (1) (b) (i) and (c) do not apply if a driver is avoiding an obstruction on the highway and first ascertains that the movement can be made with safety and without affecting the travel of any other vehicle.

I have seen advice on BC driving school websites that suggest a driver who is passing over a single solid yellow line should only do so with extreme caution as sight lines may be restricted. The implication is that areas marked with a single broken yellow line are less likely to have these restrictions.

Suspension of section 155

156 If the driver of a vehicle is causing the vehicle to enter or leave a highway and the driver has ascertained that he or she might do so with safety and does so without unreasonably affecting the travel of another vehicle, the provisions of sections 151 and 155 are suspended with respect to the driver while the vehicle is entering or leaving the highway.

Learn More

• Turning Left Over Solid Lines

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