Does a solid white lane line prohibit crossing to change lanes on the approach to an intersection?
MUTCD Section 3B.04 says to use a single solid white line to “discourage” crossing the lane line and a double white line to prohibit crossing it. A single solid white line is used for a variety of lines that drivers should be discouraged from crossing in “normal” situations but which drivers do need to cross in some situations. An example is the “edge line”—the line that separates the rightmost travel lane from the shoulder. The single solid white line discourages crossing onto the shoulder but does not prohibit it because it is obviously desirable and/or necessary to cross it in some situations, such as an emergency stop. The MUTCD sets the national standards for pavement markings, but it does not establish what the laws of the individual States may define as the legal meanings of various types of lines in each State. Some States may have laws that prohibit crossing a single solid white line in specific circumstances. Some states also have laws that go beyond just the meaning of the
