The four white lines along the road
They look similar and they do different jobs. The important split is the middle column: a warning or guidance marking informs you, a regulatory marking binds you.
| Line | Type | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Broken line, between opposing traffic | Warning | Traffic on the other side is coming towards you. You may cross, but you must wait until it is safe |
| Broken line, between lanes going the same way | Guidance | It marks out the lanes. Change lanes when it is safe to do so |
| One solid line | Regulatory | Do not drive on the right of it and do not cross it — three exceptions only |
| Two solid lines | Regulatory | Do not drive on the right of them and do not cross them — one exception only |
A solid line is only used between opposing traffic where it is a no-overtaking line. The same-direction version of it exists too and does the same job within one carriageway.
Broken lines: the difference between the two of them
Both are broken white lines and most drivers never notice they are looking at two different markings.
The dividing line is there to warn you that vehicles on the other side of it are travelling in the opposite direction — and, in the manual's own words, that if you wish to cross it, for whatever reason, you must wait until it is safe to do so. It is only ever used between opposing flows of traffic.
The lane line is a guidance marking. It demarcates lanes for traffic going the same way. Crossing it is an ordinary lane change.
You can tell them apart by the rhythm if you look: both run one part line to two parts gap, but the dividing line is drawn in longer strokes with longer gaps than a lane line.
One solid line: the three exceptions
A single solid white line between opposing traffic is a no-overtaking line — what used to be called a barrier line. It requires two things of you: do not drive so that your vehicle is on the right of it, and do not drive so that any part of your vehicle crosses it.
There are exactly three exceptions. You may cross it to reach a property on the other side of it. You may cross it coming out of a property onto the roadway on the other side. And you may cross it to pass a stationary obstruction in the road.
Every one of them is subject to the same proviso: in all instances, only if it is safe to do so. The exception is permission to cross, not permission to cross carelessly.
Notice what is not on the list. Overtaking a slow vehicle is not an exception. A cyclist you are impatient with is not an exception — unless the cyclist is stationary, in which case it is an obstruction.
Two solid lines: one exception
A double solid white line carries the same two prohibitions, and strips the exceptions down to one: to pass a stationary obstruction in the roadway, and only if it is safe to do so.
That is the whole difference, and it is the point of using two lines instead of one. The access exceptions fall away, which is exactly why a double line is painted where turning across it would be dangerous — near busy signalised junctions, or along stretches where right turns into properties keep causing crashes.
So if you remember one thing about double lines: two lines are stricter. You may not turn across them to get into your own driveway.
The mistake
Thinking a solid line is advice. It is a regulatory marking with a closed list of exceptions, and "the car in front was slow" is not on it.
The other one runs the opposite way: treating a broken dividing line as though crossing it were forbidden. It is a warning marking. You may cross it — you simply have to wait until doing so is safe, which on a two-way road means being certain about oncoming traffic.
Road markings are examined with the signs
Markings are not a section of their own — they are tested inside the road signs section, which catches out learners who study the signs and skip the paint. Our free practice covers both together, with an explanation on every answer.
Practise road signs and markings freeCommon questions
Can you cross a solid white line in South Africa?
Only in listed cases. Across a single solid line you may cross to reach a property on the other side, to come out of a property onto the other side, or to pass a stationary obstruction — and in every case only if it is safe. Across a double solid line, the only exception is passing a stationary obstruction.
What does a broken white line mean?
It depends which one it is. Between opposing traffic it is a dividing line: a warning that vehicles on the other side are coming towards you, and you may cross only when it is safe. Between lanes running the same way it is a lane line, and crossing it is an ordinary lane change.
Is a double white line stricter than a single one?
Yes, and that is the reason it exists. A single line has three exceptions; a double line has one, which is passing a stationary obstruction. You may not turn across a double line to enter or leave a property.
Can I overtake over a solid line if the car ahead is very slow?
No. A slow-moving vehicle is not one of the exceptions. A stationary obstruction is — the difference is whether it is moving.
Are road markings on the learner's test?
Yes. They are examined as part of the road signs section rather than as a separate section, so a learner who studies signs but skips markings is under-prepared for that section.
Sources
- SADC Road Traffic Signs Manual, Volume 1, Chapter 7 (May 2012) — §7.2.5, No Overtaking Line RM1Drivers shall "not drive a vehicle in such a manner that it is on the right side of such marking" and "not drive a vehicle in such a manner that it or any part of such vehicle crosses" it, UNLESS driven "(i) to gain direct access to any land on the opposite side", "(ii) to gain direct access from any land to that portion of the roadway on the opposite side", or "(iii) to pass a stationary obstruction in the roadway", PROVIDED that in all instances it is safe to do so. A single continuous solid white line, minimum 100 mm wide, used only between portions of roadway carrying traffic travelling in opposite directions. It performs the function of the marking previously known as a barrier line.
- SADC Road Traffic Signs Manual, Volume 1, Chapter 7 (May 2012) — §7.2.6, No Crossing Lines RM2The same two prohibitions, "UNLESS the vehicle is driven to pass any stationary obstruction in the roadway and it is safe to do so". Always two continuous solid white lines, each a minimum of 100 mm wide. Used where it is expressly intended to prohibit turning movements across the line in addition to the actions a no-overtaking line prohibits.
- SADC Road Traffic Signs Manual, Volume 1, Chapter 7 (May 2012) — §7.3.3, Dividing Line WM3A WARNING marking, "to warn road users that vehicles travelling on the other side of such a marking are travelling in the opposite direction (and if they wish to cross such a line, for whatever reason, they must wait until it is safe to do so)". A broken white line, minimum 100 mm wide, line-to-gap ratio 1 to 2. Used only between portions of roadway carrying traffic travelling in opposite directions.
- SADC Road Traffic Signs Manual, Volume 1, Chapter 7 (May 2012) — §7.4.1, Lane Line GM1A GUIDANCE marking, used "to demarcate traffic lanes for road users travelling on a roadway or portion of roadway in the same direction", and "only … within a portion of roadway carrying only vehicles which are travelling in the same direction". A broken white line with a line-to-gap ratio of 1 to 2.
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 298Passing of a vehicle, including the places where passing is prohibited.
Last updated 2026-09-21.