Signs, signals and pavement markings
A solid white edge line marks where the travel lane ends and the shoulder begins. When may you drive across it?
- When a police officer or other authorized official tells you to, or when an official sign allows it. Correct answer
- Whenever the vehicle ahead of you stops to make a left turn and you want to pass it.
- Whenever traffic in your lane is stopped and the shoulder is clear.
Why
The edge line marks the border between the travel lane and the shoulder, and crossing it is illegal except in two situations: a police officer or another authorized official directs you to, or an official sign allows it. Passing a vehicle that is turning left is one of the cases where you may pass on the right, but the manual repeats that even then you may not drive on or across the shoulder or edge line unless a sign allows it or an officer indicates it. A stopped lane of traffic with an empty shoulder is not an exception either. A related detail: when an edge line angles toward the center of the road, the road gets narrower ahead.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is When a police officer or other authorized official tells you to, or when an official sign allows it.
More on signs, signals and pavement markings
- A solid line and a broken line run side by side between you and oncoming traffic. The broken line is on your side. What does this allow?
- A single solid line separates your lane from the lane next to it. When may you pass or change lanes across it?
- On a city street, a lane marked with a diamond symbol is reserved for buses and high-occupancy vehicles. Your car does not qualify. Where the solid line beside it becomes a broken line, when may you enter that lane?
- Your traffic light is green, but a traffic officer standing in the intersection signals you to stop. What must you do?