Originally Posted by
Paul Barnard
If you come upon an obstruction in the road, can you cross a double yellow to avoid it? If you com across a car with its flashers on limping slowly with a flat tire, are you legally bound to remain behind it? What about a mail truck stopping at every box?
California does have an emergency exemption for crossing over which probably covers obstructions of the road and would probably cover a limping car with its hazards on. With the mail truck I would guess that it's not legal to pass it but I don't think it would be enforced that way.
But outside of that exemption and the left-turn exemption California vehicle code pretty much streets the double yellow lines has forbidden.l