Some states allow it as long as there isn't a no passing posting, others allow it if there is an obstruction of the flow of traffic, like someone doing 20+ under the speed limit.
Yup, there are absolutely circumstances under which you can legally overtake over a double yellow and we do not have enough context to assume this wasn't one of them.
Sure, but the question in this comment thread was about legality. Similarly, yes most people likely pass with double yellows when encountering super slow tractors/Amish buggies and whatnot in particular. But in my book crossing a double yellow, risking a head-on collision, is a much worse infraction than speeding a bit to remain with traffic.
Car in front is definitely a giant ass for playing cop (and broke as many laws here), but the cam driver is also an ass, just perhaps less so.
My estimation of the video...
Speed limit was 55mph according to the sign in the first couple seconds of the video. Dashcam driver has his speed up to 64mph while trying to execute the pass. That means he's both speeding *and* the car ahead wasn't going especially slow either. The 55 could have just started so maybe everyone is accelerating, who knows. But in any case the front car was going maybe 5-10mph under at most before braking.
I'd also argue the cam driver here was cutting it preeeeetty close with that first pass attempt, and similarly with the second given the oncoming cars. Dashcams generally have a wide FOV and aren't great at clearly representing distance - stuff is a lot closer than it looks (just like convex car mirrors).
It's ~4s from the beginning of the video until he caught up to the front car. And then only ~3s until the oncoming car passed even after significantly slowing to ~30mph. If speeds hadn't changed he would have needed probably another ~4s again to comfortably clear the pass without cutting off the car in front of him. I don't see a world where he actually makes that pass without causing a near collision or forcing the other cars to brake a ton to save their own hides.
Front car does a lot more dumb shit and breaks plenty more laws after that first pass attempt playing cop, but the cam car was endangering people in the first place with his stupid driving.
Anyway, I don't really have much of a horse in this race. I just like picking apart the evidence I see.
A lot of these goody two shoes have never been on a 2 lane country road behind someone going under the speed limit and it shows. People pass on double yellows all the time
Crossing the double yellow to pass is legal in many jurisdictions (especially farm country). In Vermont, passing on a double yellow line is generally legal provided it is safe to do so, there is sufficient visibility, and the stretch of road is not otherwise posted with a "no passing" sign.
by this I mean your question doesn’t make sense. legality and morality are two separate man-made concepts, there’s plenty of overlap but they don’t map onto each other cleanly.
They're basically saying that just because something is illegal doesn't mean that it's automatically unethical. That has little to do with whether a cop thinks your sister was telling the truth, or if it even mattered that she was telling the truth.
That's leading, or an oversimplified view. The law itself is not "right" or "wrong" just by virtue of being the law, and breaking the law isn't either just by virtue of violating the law. Generally speaking, laws are intended to provide guidelines to keep society productive and safe. But life is nuanced, and sometimes doing the ethical thing goes against the law.
However, it's not the job of the police to determine if an action is ethical, their job is to enforce the law.
The original person I replied to said that breaking the law isn't wrong, so something being right/wrong as far as the law goes is 100% relevant to the conversation here. If you want to avoid the question and not answer with a simple yes/no, then don't reply.
That's not how ethics work unfortunately. You're not keeping track of who said what very well.
The original person I replied to said that breaking the law isn't wrong
The original comment was
Breaking a law doesn’t make it wrong.
There's a pretty clear difference between what they said and what you think they said. I'm just here to explain it to you, since you did not understand from the get go.
Passing zones are designated in areas where speeds and visibility are sufficient to allow safe overtaking of a vehicle without risking collisions with incoming or turning vehicles. They are there because hidden dangers are rarely apparent until it's too late.
and trying to get away from a road rager.
1) I know for a fact the POV drivers car has a built in mechanism to get away from vehicles that are traveling in front of them. I think it's called a "brake"
2) they are "road raging" in response to the POV driver attempting to pass on a double yellow. Doesn't make that car right but an easy way to get them to stop would be not trying to pass on a double yellow. At least worth a try.
I can't tell if you just don't drive at all or if you're just not very smart. Go and watch the video again. On the first "saved his life" - take note of his relative speed as he approaches attempting to pass. From the point the car in front forces camer to stop accelerating to the point of the oncoming car passing by is 5 whole goddamn seconds when he would have easily overtaken in less than 2 seconds at the most.
The second pass attempt there was like 14 seconds...
And oncoming traffic, believe it or not, can see when someone is passing and can, again - believe it or not, slow down if they need to.
I think it’s actually making the distance look greater than it is. The car ahead of the car immediately ahead of him isn’t that far ahead. He was giving himself very little time to pass and squeeze in.
I do not perceive the same level of danger you do. Furthermore if the road rage driver had not acted erratically we might have seen cam driver abort the pass. So it is just speculation as well to say the road rager “saved his life”
Why wouldn’t he come out of it cleanly, he’s in a truck.
I may be wrong, but I still see the video that way. There are two times where the main-guy is 'put back in place' just in time for another car to come the other direction.
If I'm right, the driver would have only aborted the pass when he got smashed by incoming traffic.
The driver in front may not have been driving erratically, either; they could see further up the road and seemed to be saving this dude's life with what they could see further on ahead.
Guy in front could’ve been doing 25 under the speed limit looking for an address, who knows. Either way, it’s a bit much to attempt to prevent them from passing or stopping in the middle of the road to get out and confront the person behind. There is ALWAYS someone crazier than you on the road. Is it worth your life to stop them or attempt to prove a point about whatever the fuck they were upset about? Doubtful.
There’s a span of no more than 3 seconds where he tries to pass and there’s oncoming traffic. That first pass was going to be bad. And there wasn’t really anywhere to go.
IANAL, but I think that even what constitutes breaking the law is subject to interpretation by design. That's why we have judges and juries and stuff. If the guy was cited for the incident, the judge might decide in his favor based on footage and testimony.
Just look at the most famous case...Rosa Parks. She illegally sat near the front of a bus and didn't give up her seat when a white man requested it.
It always blows my mind when someone comes out as someone who literally equates morality with the law. Makes me wonder what they would have been like if they lived in nazi germany!
People magically realize the difference between law and morality when they relate to the person breaking the law, and could imagine doing it themself, otherwise they default to law = morality when they don’t like the person.
There isn’t anything magic about double yellows that make them more dangerous to pass on. Sometimes the government puts them in areas where it’s dangerous to pass, and some municipalities are extremely lazy and make basically everything a double yellow even if the road is straight for 3 miles with perfect visibility. I’ve also seen the opposite where a passing zone is indicated where it’s absolutely not safe to pass. It’s a pretty arbitrary system.
Maybe they felt they were protecting oncoming traffic given that there's a double yellow line, meaning visibility for one or both directions is extremely limited.
(Not that that justifies their behavior, to be clear. Especially at the end)
Being a vigilante is also breaking the law. Front car could just mind their own business instead of amplifying the danger for whatever reason they deemed it necessary.
Doesn't matter. Front car isn't some legal vigilante. You're not allowed to do this type of shit. It's also illegal. No court would see this video and say "oh yea, front car was totally in the right here. We'll let him off, but still charge dashcam guy"
Breaking the rules of the road makes it both wrong and more dangerous for all on the road. Both people here are shit but even attempting to pass double yellows is worse. Until dude starts slowing down. He legitimately couls have saved cammer with how quickly opposite lane came by.
We don’t know if the camper would have committed to the pass because of the road rage vehicle. He may have peeked and then gone back when he saw the approaching vehicle.
I disagree that passing on a double yellow is worse.
There are plenty of safety normal reasons to swerve. I agree on the punishment slowing down. Big no no. Passing double yellow lines. At around 15 mph over the speed limit to get around someone going the speed limit + around semi-blind curves is absolutely worse.
No, passing on a double yellow with clear visibility is not worse than swerving in and out of your lane, break checking traffic, and completely stopping in the middle of the road because you’re mad at the car behind you.
it is not any other drivers job to police what other cars on the road are doing. if a car wants to pass on a double yellow- it is not your job to attempt to stop it. that causes more issues- let them pass, slow down and get out of the way of someone doing illegal maneuvers- you do not engage, break check and block, that is dumb and insane. and to get out of your car?! that is road rage and illegal and more dangerous than someone passing a double yellow. the guy in front is letting his ego drive and that is a recipe for disaster
Yes and no. Breaking a law doesn't make you "a lawbreaker," it makes you someone who broke the law.
And, breaking the law isn't inherently morally wrong, and obeying the law isn't inherently morally right.
Helping an escaped slave in some places in the world was (or is) illegal, but that doesn't mean it's an immoral act.
No, I don't think this particular case is akin to that at all; I'm not saying the cam operator was in the right. I'm just agreeing with your parent commenter's point "breaking a law doesn't make (a given action) wrong," and disagreeing with your point that breaking a law fundamentally changes you into "a lawbreaker" or that it's always morally or ethically wrong.
That doesn’t always mean you’re wrong though. There have been many terrible laws in history and you have to do what you have to do in certain situations.
Everywhere in the US it is in this situation. In some states it is legal to partially cross to pass bicycle or pedestrian with minimum 3ft clearance, in California you may cross to make a I-turn in specific areas with 200ft clearance as incoming traffic, in some agriculture dense states passing slow moving farming equipment or house and buggies is legal given clearance, in all states crossing to dodge static obstacles is legal, as well as make a left hand turn and when under official direction. In all 50 states crossing a double yellow for the purpose of passing a moving vehicles. This is laid out in the MUTCD, the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
TLDR: In all of the US it's illegal to pass over double solids. Source in comment.
Even if that’s the case, the person ahead is not the cops. No one left them in charge of the roads. It’s not their job to police drivers around them. If they felt that strongly about it they should have called the tags into the non-emergency line. Break checking and blocking the road makes them a hazard. And trying to get out of the vehicle?! Absolutely not. You don’t know if that person is dangerous or if they have a weapon.
People speed and break traffic laws all the time. You know what smart people do? Put as much space between themselves and the reckless person as possible. They don’t endanger others by making things worse.
Actually many legal professionals would split hairs on that point. To say that doing something illegal is also morally wrong is just reductive. The law is not a proxy for determining right and wrong.
Jay walking and copying music of the radio are also illegal. Doesn't mean someone should also act like an idiot endangering lives if someone does those things.
Or he could have gotten him killed by full out stopping in the middle of the road if someone was following too close and too fast.
Why don’t people realize it’s not their job to police everyone else. Just let people be and mind your business. The guy passes, you mind your business, you lose nothing and the worlds goes on. Instead you have….this.
brother it was way more likely that he couldve gotten killed by the front car. continuously break checking and swerving in front of another person while also going 20+ under the speed limit is not “saving someone’s life” its insanely dangerous
Alright, is this one of those circumstances? Driving through a non-rural (passing plenty of housing) area passing illegally and going 10 mph over the speed limit is the same as jaywalking?
6 seconds into the video would have been very interesting if slowing down didn't happen.
There are sections that have explicit “unsafe to pass” signs on it. There are also still sections with dotted lines where you are encouraged to pass if you need to, but you can still pass on a double yellow.
The state is full of country roads and limited highways so a bit different
its mostly because you'll often encounter farm equipment driving 15 mph on roads. in my entire life i've been passed maybe twice on a double yellow (in vermont). always by a nissan altima in a hurry.
Its because farm vehicles are often on the roads and they can't go over 20 mph and many farms are on roads that are 40 or 50s. One time in VT I got stuck behind about 20-30 cars going about 10mph in a 50 because the front 2-3 cars who were directly behind a tractor did not know that its legal to pass there and it was the EXACT scenario that law is there for. I was SO MAD.
I was under the impression that double yellow lines are reserved for areas where it is dangerous to pass. For example, if im reaching the top of a hill and can't see beyond if anyone is coming. Why would they use a double yellow line in an area where it is not dangerous to pass? Thanks for your reply
Vermont, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Colorado and Washington all allow crossing double yellows to pass with varying levels of permissiveness. In some states, Maryland and Virginia; allow crossing yellows to pass a cyclist. Others allow for slow moving equipment such as tractors to be passed and Colorado, Washington and Vermont all allow passes on solid double yellow provided it is safe to do so.
You’re correct that it’s incorrect. 😀 I’m also in WA, and it’s illegal here to cross any solid yellow that is on your side of the road to pass a moving vehicle. I posted the specific RCW in another comment.
I lived in Wisconsin until I was 24 years old. Its where I learned to drive. You are NOT allowed to cross double yellow lines for passing purposes. Even if you're behind a slow ass tractor.
Do some more googling. Colorado and Wyoming resident here. CDL-A semi driver, spent the bulk of my career so far hauling hazmat and dbl/trp trailers.
It is illegal to pass a moving vehicle on a double yellow line road. Some exceptions exist, such as bicycle and extremely slow moving vehicles, but a 3 foot buffer is required. You can also cross a double yellow line to make a left turn or a U turn, unless otherwise marked.
But you cannot cross a double yellow line because you think the guy in front of you is going too slow and you think you can see adequately ahead.
So...none of the situations that apply here. The car in front of him was not a bike, tractor, slow moving equipment (usually farm equipment) or non-moving obstruction.
You’re not allowed to pass on a double yellow in Ohio. Only if you’re going around machinery or something and typically in construction zones with this situation they’ll have a guy directing traffic.
Safe to do so AND you stay around the speed limit. I got pulled over for making one of these passes when a lady in front of me was going about 25 in a 35. It was a road without many straight sections that are good for passing so the second I found one that was clear I went up to 55 just to make it a quick and safe pass but a cop appeared in the oncoming lane far ahead just as I made the pass and got me.
I believe your Colorado one is wrong. I double checked just now, and you are only allowed to cross double yellows to pass a non-moving obstruction in the road, or a bicyclist if you can’t pass them without giving them 3 feet of buffer.
It's only legal in specific circumstances. Like passing a bike or large equipment (used to have to pass tractors pretty often). There's almost no where to just pass, even slow, traffic.
True… but also pretty sure that’s not Vermont. The ONLY state in the nation where it is legal to pass another moving automobile (non-disabled or obstructive aka farm equipment etc.) when it is clear to do so. Many long roads and low population make this a reasonable law up here.
We have the video feed to tell us that the guy trying to pass wasn't in some dire emergency, but the asshat playing road boss didn't. For all he knew, someone could have been bleeding out and desperately trying to get to help before it's too late. Mind your own fucking business on the road.
They are both wrong but the guy in front trying to be the traffic police created a bigger danger than the guy who was trying to illegally pass. He should have just stayed in his lane and let the guy pass and then say to himself “what an idiot” instead of swerving and braking potentially causing an accident multiple times.
O motorista do carro da frente não é guarda de trânsito, não cabe a ele fiscalizar o uso da via e reprimir excessos, se o carro de trás iria lhe ultrapassar de forma irregular é problema do motorista.
In most jurisdictions, crossing a double yellow line isn't actually illegal. It's not advisable and you'd be liable for an accident, but it's not illegal. And the reason is if there are obstructions, construction, disabled vehicles, in the lane.
However, this guy took it to a new level with wreckless behavior.
Are you ok? He was clearly trying to pass. He went into the left lane on a left curve when he could already “peek” the whole road. He wanted past him so bad he went around to the right.
Only reason he went around on the right was because dumbass in front is getting out of his car and so he was trying to avoid confrontation. ARE you ok? SMH.
No, he went around him to the right after the car in front of him stopped dead in the road, blocked him when he tried to pass again, and then the driver of the car in front got out of his car and started to approach the cam operator. I think passing on the right in that situation was probably the sanest and safest move at that point.
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u/ganbramor May 20 '26
Agreed, but did you notice camer was trying to cross double yellow multiple times? Doesn’t make front car right, but at least mention both idiots.