Which of the paths marked with arrows is allowed?

Explanation

Straight ahead only.

In the middle of the carriageway a double solid line is drawn. The meaning of this marking is explicit: crossing it for any reason is prohibited. Any manoeuvre that requires you to cross this line — a left turn and a U-turn — is thereby prohibited, and the only route left for the blue car is straight ahead.

A double solid line is usually drawn where either each direction has more than one traffic lane or there is not enough visibility to cut across the opposing path. Its safety reason is exactly that: to turn left or make a U-turn you must cut across the entire width of the oncoming flow, and on a road where cars travel at a continuous speed that means entering the path of someone who is neither expecting you nor has time to brake.

The common exam trap is that, because the candidate sees no prohibitory sign in the picture, he assumes everything is free. But a marking, like a sign, is a legal command and can prohibit a manoeuvre on its own. The practical point is that to make a U-turn or go to the left you must drive on to the nearest permitted place — such as a junction where the marking is interrupted, or a place where the line becomes broken — and manoeuvre there, rather than jumping across the solid line en route.

• Both a left turn and travel in the opposite direction require crossing the double solid line, and that single marking closes both of them. • Straight-ahead movement is correct, but adding a left turn and a U-turn invalidates this option; a double solid line does not permit cutting across the opposing path.

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