Tuesday - March 19, 2024
New Bill Would Allow Crossing Double Lines on Road
Written by Michael Papich   
Wednesday, 25 March 2015 16:13

CHARLOTTE - New legislation being considered in the North Carolina General Assembly would let drivers cross double yellow lines on the road to pass a slower driver in front of them. Tiffany Wright with AAA Carolinas says her organization strongly opposes this measure but says she understands the motivation.

"I do see how some folks could say, especially in the trucking industry, 'We feel like it's not safe for us to be stuck behind these vehicles,'" Wright says. "But there would have to be a lot to be done for this to even make sense on a safety level."

House Bill 60 says drivers can cross the double yellow line if the vehicle in front of them is going half the posted speed limit. Wright says her opposition is all about ensuring driver safety.

"Crossing double lines increases drivers' chances of a head-on collision," Wright says. "We really oppose any legislation that does that."

And Wright says the existing laws regarding double yellow lines are practical.

"Just like speed limits are set for a reason, so are those double yellow lines," she says.

In addition, Wright says she doesn't know where the push for this particular bill is coming from now.

"It seems a little out-of-the-blue and I don't know of any other states that have looked at that," she says. "A lot of times, these proposals come across and they kind of seem a little preposterous."

Double yellow lines are put in when Department of Transportation officials judge that there is not enough visible distance for drivers to judge whether a car is incoming or not.

 
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