passing on double yellow?

Really not an issue if you do it quick and clean, many of the passing zones in my area have been painted over with double yellow lines.....and most are very acceptable areas to pass.

Pretty much a matter of enforcement.

Everybody says its way too dangerous to pass on a double yellow, so I wait until the road is covered with ice and snow, and you cant see the lines, then its safe to pass.

s/lawyers/bureaucrats/ and it's about them looking bad because crash rates may go up.

Oregon DOT just bought a fancy new machine that the run through a corner to measure actual radius, line of sight, grade, etc., and it recommends a "cautionary" (yellow sign) speed limit. The ODOT safety person is freaked out because some corners, the numbers are higher than they were- more people are going to DIE! Especially on MOTORCYCLES! When I heard that, I thought "those morons shouldn't be trusting a sign to tell them how fast to go anyway..."

The more I have deep interaction with DOT workers the more I shake my head. Many are complete morons, just putting in their years for a big tax payer funded retirement package.

My biggest issue with passing over a double line is when it is done in a manner that threatens my own safety. Someone wants to do it, fine. I've done it a few times before. Just do it when it is clear, not in a blind turn or when there is oncoming traffic. It is also rude to buzz the person you're passing. Just pass and move on! I will use passing over a DY only as a last resort and only when it is clear. No destination is worth a life or serious injury.

I pay very keen attention to those signs: I double their figure, and do my best to keep my speed under that number!

But you can easily make an unsafe pass in a legal passing zone. So do they really offer more beyond congested area, dangerous intersection, blind driveway, or blind rise signage?

How about this behavior?: Curvy mountain road without pullouts. Speed limit is 40. I'm in my truck doing close to 50, as is the car behind me. Three sportbikes come up behind us. Not real fast, but they're probably doing 55. Lead rider gets around us in a short section of dashed yellow. Rides out ahead and then starts giving a thumbs up signal when it's clear for his partners to pass on curvy double yellow. When his group doesn't make a pass after a few corners, the guy slows way down, making me and the car behind slow way down. Second rider passes just as a car comes around the corner in the opposing lane - lead biker had given the thumbs up. Now first and second rider have got us jammed up until their third gets around us on double yellow. Then they all take off together.

Riders deliberately slowing down auto traffic so other riders can pass (on double yellow).

Seemed like bullshit to me.

Why didn't you just slow down and let them by instead of making them do it for you?

Seems like bullshit to me????

What are you upset about? Why not slow down to 40 and let them by? Would have cost you what....a few seconds of time? And you would have been a lot less upset.

It's interesting to get others' perspectives on this. A nice reality check. I was/am not upset by the incident; just surprised by it. I've never seen anything like it before. When I'm riding I don't expect anyone to pull over, or slow down, or speed up for me if they're doing the speed limit or better. I sure as heck wouldn't feel so entitled as to do what these folks did. I guess I'm just patient like that. . . and I realize that's the nature of riding on public roadways. Haul ass when you can, ride with traffic when you can't.

Fixt

I pull out of the way if I'm in the mountains in my truck and a pack herds up behind me. They go by safely (or safer anyway) I get held up for all of 10 seconds. I know just cruising along that I am going to be going a HELL of a lot faster on my 675 than I would be in my F-150.

It was basic courtesy when I was learning to drive, if someone is flat your ass get out of the damn way. Its the same thing as pulling into the opposing lane when you are making a left so the people behind you don't have to slow down or yielding the right lane at an on ramp so people can merge

Y'know, manners.

In different areas of the country, it is very common for drivers to pull over and/or wave faster traffic around, even if they might be doing the speed limit or even a little above. Around here, I can usually pick out an out of the area vehicle without even seeing the license plate, because they are the ones that don't...

Yep.

If someone catches me, they obviously have the skill and desire to go faster than I can/want to. So as soon as I can a slide to the right, while slowing slightly, like Europeans I usually turn on the rh signal to indicate my actions.

Just one thought. I choose to believe that the paint on the road --- stripes, lines, double yellows, arrows, etc.

Are, or SHOULD BE intended to improve safety, not detract from it.

Like when I'm on my bicycle , there's NO oncoming traffic, but a driver won't go over the double yellow to give me more room as they overtake.

SOME drivers, letter of the law types, think a double yellow is a concrete Jersey barrier and refuse to let their tires cross it.

And if double-yellows ARE intended to improve safety, by indicating to drivers where there's adequate distance (physical distance, sight distance, ..) to make a safe pass, well, motorcycles incredible acceleration allows them to pass in much less room. I'm saying that if roads were striped for motorcycles, or even high performance cars, there would be a lot more single yellows.

All of which is why I feel perfectly justified passing on a double yellow when I can see there's plenty of room to execute a safe pass. And I don't do it if it requires using more than 50% of my bike's acceleration potential, even then I want a BIG reserve.

I came the conclusion years ago that the roads are marked at safe speeds

For a Plymoth Fury with busted ass shocks, shit brakes and a bias-ply tires
....in the rain

Evening,

Just a quick one, in the Uk you can overtake on double white lines providing you do not cross them. They do not mean no overtaking, just no crossing of them. Is this the case in the us?

Not usually.

In the US double yellow usually means don't pass (there are two states that are exceptions) opposing traffic, double white means (also usually) no changing lanes traffic in the same direction.

It varies state to state with California being the only state where more than one vehicle can occupy a lane (yes despite the largest average lane size) Vermont and Pennsylvania allow passing over a double yellow but there are marked "no passing zones"