Within a traffic separation scheme, a vessel shall NOT

Within a traffic separation scheme, a vessel shall NOT

• A. Enter from any side without regard to lanes
• B. Proceed in an inappropriate traffic lane
• C. Use the scheme in any lane
• D. Stop in a traffic separation scheme

Answer: (B)

Within a traffic separation scheme, the lanes are laid out to keep traffic flowing in an orderly, predictable way. The key rule is to stay in the lane designated for your direction and not to move into a lane that doesn’t match your course. Prohibiting proceeding in an inappropriate traffic lane targets exactly the behavior that creates confusion and collision risk in the scheme, because it means you would be traveling in a lane that isn’t intended for your direction or would interfere with other traffic. Other options touch on related ideas—entering from a side or stopping in the scheme—but the most direct and explicit restriction at play is not using the correct traffic lane. Stopping inside a TSS is generally avoided and only allowable in emergencies, but the core point being tested is lane adherence.

Within a traffic separation scheme, the lanes are laid out to keep traffic flowing in an orderly, predictable way. The key rule is to stay in the lane designated for your direction and not to move into a lane that doesn’t match your course. Prohibiting proceeding in an inappropriate traffic lane targets exactly the behavior that creates confusion and collision risk in the scheme, because it means you would be traveling in a lane that isn’t intended for your direction or would interfere with other traffic.

Other options touch on related ideas—entering from a side or stopping in the scheme—but the most direct and explicit restriction at play is not using the correct traffic lane. Stopping inside a TSS is generally avoided and only allowable in emergencies, but the core point being tested is lane adherence.