Road markings What they mean
Single or double continuous white lines along the centre of the road
These divide two lanes of traffic traveling in opposite directions. All traffic must keep to the left of the line (except in an emergency or for access).
Longer white lines or shorter gaps between the lines along the centre of the road
These divide two lanes of traffic traveling in opposite directions. These warning lines alert drivers to hazards such as restricted vision, approach to a junction, approach to a roundabout, a hill, crests, bends and continuous white line ahead. You must not cross them unless it is safe to do so.
Short broken white lines along the centre of the road
These divide two lanes of traffic travelling in opposite directions. You must not cross them unless it is safe to do so.
Double broken white lines along the centre of the road
These divide two lanes of traffic traveling in opposite directions. These alert drivers to continuous white lines a short distance ahead. As a driver, you must not cross them unless it is safe to do so.
A broken white line with a single white line along the centre of the road
These divide two lanes of traffic traveling in opposite directions. The driver must obey the line that is nearest to them. In this picture, the driver in the car must remain to the left of the continuous white line.
A single broken yellow line along the side of the road
This road contains a hard shoulder, which is normally only for pedestrians and cyclists. If a driver wants to allow a vehicle behind them to overtake, they may pull in to the hard shoulder briefly (but do not continue driving in the hard shoulder) as long as no pedestrians or cyclists are already using it and no junctions or entrances are nearby. Different rules exist for hard shoulders on motorways. See Section 11 for details.