Except for a handful of exceptions, the rules are clear, when it comes to double solid yellow lines they mean no passing allowed.
Redditor /u/RetailTherapy6991 got so frustrated seeing drivers in a particular part of Battle Ground, WA blatantly overtake slow moving vehicles by crossing double solid yellow lines he finally clipped dashcam footage showing just that and shared it with his local Facebook group.
When flamed by locals in Clark County that it’s no big deal since everyone does it, he posted the dashcam video to reddit’s /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit earlier this week just to get another set of eyes on the situation.
Check out his dashcam footage below.
Other eagle-eyed Redditors located where the footage was shot, at the intersection of NE 279th St. and Heisson Rd (aka NE 172nd Ave.) Exact location on Google Maps linked here.
It’s worth pointing out that according to the 2016 Google Maps streetview, this exact area had a dashed yellow line which does allow for safe overtaking but since then, and probably for logical reasons, had double solid yellow lines painted over it in its place.
As the video shows, the car clearly crosses a set of double solid yellow lines to overtake a school bus full of children.
” It’s not that he did it superfast or anything, it’s the fact that there are a bus load of kids, when you’re making that left turn the substation covers most all the visibility for the other lane, he could have just turned head on into another car and gunned it,” /u/retailtherapy6991 comments.
Pretty much everyone responding agreed that this is not normal driving behavior.
“Not only is it stupid and illegal just in general, but passing a fucking school bus? Naw, you’re in the right,” /u/mustbeme87 replied.
“If I were a parent of a kid on that bus, I’d give the commenters a hardy Eff You. Stay in your lane and don’t put the kids in possible danger,” /u/DanDifino commented.
As hinted at by the fact that the substation obstructs a clear line of sight of approaching cars in the other lane, there are good reasons double solid yellow lines are where they are and why overtaking across them is not the best idea.
In 2020, a 19-year-old driver crossed double solid yellow center lines to pass a car on Route 651 in Washington and hit another car head-on. Two passengers riding with the 19-year-old died.
“Unfortunately, the community I live in is about as redneck as you can get, OP further explains. “They don’t understand when they’re wrong, or they do, they just don’t want to be told it. I appreciate everyone of you for exposing why it’s wrong, the same way I did. I need all of you for these idiots, lol.”
But when it comes to Washington’s Driver’s handbook, it can’t be more clear, double solid yellow lines are not for passing.
Crossing double yellow lines left of center line is punishable by a $124 fine.
As mentioned, Washington does allow you to drive across double solid yellow lines only if you’re ,“turning left into or from an alley, private road, or driveway.”
OP’s dashcam video, however, is plainly not that.
It might be convenient to overtake slow vehicles by crossing double solid yellow lines, and you may get away with it 99 times out of a 100. But that one time it does not go in your favor, it could end in an accident resulting in serious injury or even, as in my previously linked example above, death.
It would behoove you to do the right thing even if everyone’s comfortable doing it wrong.
