Top 10 DMV Questions – Divided Highway Signs

Signs that are Easy to Miss on the DMV Written Test

4 out of 10 test takers mix up or misunderstand the meaning of these two divided highway signs and get them wrong on the DMV knowledge exam!

Look at the illustration above. Which sign tells you that there is a divided highway ahead? Which one tells you that the divided highway ends ahead?

Learn How to Spot the Difference!

It is all about the universal language of road signs.

First thing you should know is that on any warning sign like this, you are always traveling from the bottom of the sign and to the top.

To get them right on your real DMV written test, look at the divider or median on the sign.

If it is located at the bottom, it means that you are leaving the divided highway where there was a divider between roadways (A).

If the divider is located at the top of the sign, it means that you are leaving a road without a divider and approaching a divided road (B).

The signs say nothing about the number of traffic lanes and don’t tell you if there will be fewer or more traffic lanes ahead.

What Divided Highway Signs Mean

The Divided Highway Ends (A) is placed in advance of the end of a section of physically divided highway (not an intersection or junction) as a warning of two-way traffic ahead. You must keep to the right and watch for oncoming traffic.

The Divided Highway Begins (B) is placed where you approach a section of highway (not an intersection or junction) where traffic is separated by a median or other physical barrier.

Pavement Markings

On a divided highway, you will see a single solid yellow line on the left road edge or by the left side of the barrier.

But what if the solid yellow line is on the other side?

Results

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Well done!

Ah, well…

#1. If you see a solid yellow line on the right-hand road edge or to the right of a barrier:

You are in a no-passing zone

A. You are in a no-passing zone

You are going against traffic

B. You are going against traffic

You are in an exit lane

C. You are in an exit lane

See result

If the solid yellow line is on your right-hand edge on a divided highway, you are going the wrong way. Try to stop off the roadway. Turn around when safe and without interfering with traffic.

On an undivided highway, yellow lines mark the center of the roadway. On two-lane roadways, they can be broken or solid (or a combination of both). On highways with four lanes or more the center is marked with a solid double yellow line. Don’t cross the double yellow center lines, unless you must cross to make a safe left turn into a driveway or private road.

Two-Way Traffic Sign

When leaving a divided highway and entering an undivided highway with only two lanes (two-way two-lane highway), you may see Two-Way Traffic sign.

It can be used as a supplement to the Divided Highway Ends sign. It may also be used along an undivided highway with only two lanes to emphasize that you must watch for oncoming traffic on the same roadway.

Old Signs with Word Message

Old signs have the word message DIVIDED HIGHWAY or DIVIDED ROAD (DIVIDED HIGHWAY ENDS / DIVIDED ROAD ENDS). They may still be used as an alternative to the symbol sign.