What Do the Markings on Highways Mean?
1 Answers
There are four common types of markings on highways: rumble strips, lane dividing lines, channelizing lines, and deceleration markings. Rumble Strips: Also known as noise strips, they primarily remind drivers to stay in their lane and reduce speed to avoid fatigue driving. When vehicles pass over these markings, they produce a "rumbling" sound, which serves as an effective warning and reminder for drivers, hence the name "noise strips." Lane Dividing Lines: Solid white lines are lane separation lines, prohibiting overtaking. If the lines are dashed white, they are lane demarcation lines, indicating the position of the lane, and these dashed lines can be crossed. Channelizing Lines: These consist of one or more white V-shaped lines or diagonal stripes designed according to the intersection's terrain, indicating that vehicles must follow the prescribed route and must not drive over or cross these lines. These channelizing lines are mainly used for overly wide, irregular, or complex intersections, interchange ramps, and other special locations. Deceleration Markings: These are white dashed lines set up in toll plaza areas, exit ramps, and other sections where vehicle speed reduction is required. They come in single, double, or triple dashed lines, perpendicular to the direction of travel. Longitudinal deceleration markings are a series of diamond-shaped dashed lines parallel to the lane dividing lines. They are typically placed at bridge approaches, turns, and other locations to create a visual narrowing of the lane, inducing a sense of pressure and prompting drivers to automatically reduce speed at curves, slopes, and other areas requiring deceleration.
