When Can You Pass on a Two-Lane Road in North Carolina?
On a two-lane, two-way road, when is passing with care permitted?
Short answer: When the broken (skipped) yellow line is on your side of the center.
Why
The handbook calls it a skipped or broken yellow line. On a two-lane road, you may pass with care if that broken line is in your lane. That holds even when a solid yellow line runs beside it on the oncoming side.
On the test, look at which line sits nearest your lane. Broken on your side means passing is allowed when it is safe. When the center is double solid yellow, nobody may cross it to pass in either direction.
The same page explains the colors. Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions, and white lines separate lanes going the same way.
Source: NC Driver Handbook (April 2026), page 88. Read the handbook ↗
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