Recently, we were looking to insure a new client’s car so we ran their driving record. It came up with an improper lane violation regarding the carpool lane. I had spoken to the person who referred the client to our office and they were a bit confused. They thought one was able to exit the carpool lane at any time, due to the fact that there was a white line to the left of the solid yellows. I disagreed, but was always curious as to why that white line was there. I’ve never seen anyone exit the carpool lane and get a ticket, so I couldn’t say for sure. To find out what those lines really mean, I looked at the DMV website and found the following information:
The California Driver Handbook (2013)
- Pg. 31 – Two solid yellow lines mean “no passing”. You’re not supposed to drive on the left-hand side of these lines unless you’re “in a carpool lane that has a designated entrance on the left”.
Rules of the Road and Safe Driving Practices
- Pg. – 23, Section 07.B.06 – Carpool Lanes
Freeway carpool lanes – “may require that once in a carpool lane you cannot cross over double lines to exit the carpool lane but must wait until you have a broken line”