Will I be penalized for crossing a solid line when the car in front breaks down?
3 Answers
In fact, in such a situation, it is permissible to cross the solid line, but we should pay attention to the following requirements. First, we need to confirm whether the car in front has encountered an accident and cannot move for a while. If so, we can proceed to cross the solid line. When changing lanes, we must avoid forcing our way in and should yield to vehicles in the original lane before proceeding with the lane change. If the car in front breaks down at an intersection, the vehicle behind crossing the solid line will not be penalized, as this constitutes an act of emergency avoidance. If the lane change is performed under the direction of a traffic police officer, there will be no penalty either. According to Article 21 of the "Procedures for the Handling of Road Traffic Safety Violations," if any of the following circumstances are verified, the recorded traffic violation information captured by traffic monitoring devices or entered into the traffic violation management system shall be expunged: (1) Emergency vehicles such as police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and engineering rescue vehicles performing urgent tasks; (2) Violations occurring during the period when the vehicle was stolen; (3) There is evidence that the violation was caused by rescuing people in distress or emergency avoidance; (4) The situation has already been handled by traffic police on-site; (5) Violations caused by inconsistent traffic signal indications; (6) Violations that do not meet the requirements specified in Article 18 of these procedures; (7) Incorrect recording of the vehicle's license plate information; (8) Violations recorded against a legitimate vehicle due to the use of forged, altered, or another vehicle's license plate; (9) Other circumstances that warrant expungement. Provided it does not obstruct other vehicles, you may borrow the lane. If you are captured by the camera and have objections, you can file an appeal or apply for administrative reconsideration to the higher-level traffic bureau. Vehicle owners can bring their driver's license and Peony Card to the traffic enforcement station at the location of the violation to print the penalty decision. If there are objections to the penalty, within 60 days from the date of receiving the penalty decision, they can apply for administrative reconsideration to the higher-level authority or the people's government at the same level, or file an administrative lawsuit within three months.
I've seen this situation quite often. When the car in front breaks down while driving, it's quite common to urgently change lanes over a solid line. I remember the traffic rules say changing lanes over a solid line usually results in point deductions, typically 1 to 3 points, plus a fine. However, if the car in front has a malfunction, such as being immobile or involved in an accident, it counts as an emergency avoidance, and traffic police generally won't penalize you—provided you ensure safety when changing lanes. Once, I was stuck in traffic when the car ahead broke down, and I also crossed the solid line. I wasn't held accountable afterward, but safety must always come first—don't take risks. It's best to turn on your hazard lights to warn the cars behind and move slowly without rushing, otherwise, it's easy to cause a rear-end collision. If all else fails, call the traffic police for help to verify the situation and reduce trouble.
From my experience, when encountering a broken-down vehicle ahead and needing to change lanes over a solid line, most of the time no points will be deducted because it falls under reasonable circumstances. The rules allow lane changes to avoid hazards under the premise of ensuring safety, but be careful not to make the following car misunderstand or act too hastily yourself. I recommend focusing on observing surrounding traffic at this time, turning on hazard lights to alert other drivers, and only gently changing lanes after confirming there's no danger. Also, remember to take photos or videos as evidence in case you need to appeal later. Don't forget about safe distances just because you're in a hurry to change lanes—it's easy to cause an accident, which is more serious than getting points deducted. Overall, the rules are there to protect everyone's safety, not as rigid ironclad regulations.
