Can you change lanes with three white dashed lines?

[OOmar]

Three white dashed lines allow lane changes. Here are the relevant details: 1. Solid white lines prohibit lane changes: You cannot cross solid white lines to merge into the main lane. Only at white dashed lines ahead, and under safe conditions, can you cross the line to change lanes. Violations incur a 200-yuan fine and 3 penalty points. 2. Special circumstances: At some highway exits with solid white lines, you also cannot cross them to merge into the auxiliary lane for exiting. You must change lanes at the white dashed lines in advance to exit the highway. However, in deceleration marking areas, even if lane changes are permitted, minimize them when traffic is heavy as these zones present higher risks.

[DiStephanie]

My driving instructor specifically covered this during my license training! The three white dashed lines are called lane dividers, and as long as they're not solid, you can change lanes. But you need to observe the line pattern: the standard version is 6 meters long with 9-meter gaps—feel free to change lanes with these. However, if the lines are unusually short (maybe just 2-4 meters) and densely packed, they effectively serve as a no-lane-change hint. Some school zones or tunnel exits use these condensed short dashes—crossing them would mean a 3-point penalty and ¥200 fine if caught. Always check mirrors and signal before changing lanes; continuous dashed sections are safer for maneuvers, but when encountering tight short-dash clusters, I just stay put in my lane.

[JonathanLee]

When I first got my license, I was also troubled by this issue. The three dashed lines actually represent lane dividers, and normal lane changes are allowed by traffic rules. The key difference lies in the spacing: standard white dashed lines have wider gaps, so changing lanes is perfectly safe. However, if the three lines are packed unusually close together, like the short dashes seen on some elevated off-ramps, a traffic police friend told me these are actually visual warnings against random lane changes. Just the other day on Yan'an Elevated Road, I noticed newly painted dense short dashes that looked like three rows of small nails—forcing a lane change there would be extremely dangerous, and it still gives me chills thinking about it.

[OliveDella]

As a ride-hailing driver who spends 8 hours on the road daily, whether you can change lanes across three white dashed lines depends on the situation. Normal spacing? Of course you can, just remember to signal for 3 seconds in advance. When encountering those short dashed lines resembling QR codes—either indicating curves or accident-prone sections—I basically keep the steering wheel steady. Last time on the elevated road, I saw a new variation: the middle line of the three dashes was painted blue. This innovative marking had passengers asking if lane changes were allowed. My response? Stick to the default rules for the safest approach!