Broken white line
A dashed white line between lanes going the same way. It separates lanes that traffic may move between with care.
Easily confused with
- Broken yellow lineA dashed yellow line down the centre of a two-lane road. Traffic on each side goes in opposite directions, and passing with care is permitted in both directions.
- Solid white lineA solid white line between lanes going the same way. The MUTCD uses it where crossing from one lane to the other is discouraged; along the right edge of the road it is the edge line.
- Dotted lineShorter dashes, closer together, mark a lane that exits or ends.
How to read it
The MUTCD uses a broken white lane line where crossing the line with care is not discouraged or prohibited, and requires lane lines on all freeways and Interstate highways. The Manual's guidance for broken lines is 10-foot segments with 30-foot gaps. Florida's handbook says a driver may cross it to change lanes when it is safe, and Pennsylvania's that the broken white lines between lanes going the same way may be crossed to pass. California's handbook describes them as separating lanes on roads with two or more lanes in the same direction.
Also searched as: dashed white line, lane line.
Rules vary by state and country. This explains the sign's standard meaning in the U.S. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices; it isn't legal advice.
What changed in 2023
The 2009 MUTCD used the broken white line where crossing with care is permitted. The 11th edition (2023) words it the other way round: where crossing with care is not discouraged or prohibited.
Look-alikes
A dotted white line has shorter dashes closer together: on a freeway it separates a through lane from a lane that exits or ends. A broken yellow line has oncoming traffic beyond it. A solid white line marks lanes where changing is discouraged.
More road signs
Browse symbols drawn with lines.
Sources
- MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 3: Markings, MUTCD 11th Edition (December 2023), Part 3, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Sections 3A.03, 3A.04, 3B.06
- MUTCD 2009 Edition, Chapter 3B: Pavement and Curb Markings, MUTCD 2009, Part 3, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Section 3B.04
- Official Florida Driver License Handbook, rev. 08/2023, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, p. 43
- Pennsylvania Driver's Manual, Chapter 2: Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, p. 22
- California Driver's Handbook, Section 6: Navigating the Roads, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Lane Markings
Last reviewed October 2, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research