Delaware gives you 30 questions and lets you miss six. That is a reasonable margin, but ten of those questions are signs and the rest lean heavily on specific numbers. This page collects every figure worth committing to memory before you go to the DMV.
Speed limits: Delaware is one of the slowest states in the country
The highest speed limit anywhere in Delaware is 65 mph, and it applies only to specific stretches such as I-495 and designated sections of Delaware Route 1. Forty states allow higher speeds somewhere. If you have driven in Pennsylvania or Maryland, adjust your expectations at the border.
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| School zones during posted hours | 20 mph |
| Business and residential districts | 25 mph |
| Two-lane open road, one lane each way | 50 mph |
| Roads with four lanes or more | 55 mph |
| I-495 and designated sections of Route 1 | 65 mph |
The general speed law overrides all of it. Driving too fast for the conditions is illegal even below the posted number, and driving unreasonably slowly is an offense too.
Phones: Delaware is stricter than most
Handheld phone use is banned for all drivers regardless of age, not just teenagers. That includes holding the phone to talk, not only texting. Hands-free is permitted for adults.
It is a primary offense, meaning police can pull you over for that alone with no other violation. Seat belt enforcement is primary in Delaware too.
Alcohol limits
| Driver | Illegal at |
|---|---|
| Age 21 and over | 0.08% BAC |
| Under 21 | 0.02% BAC |
| Commercial license holders | 0.04% BAC |
| Enhanced penalties trigger at | 0.16% BAC |
Delaware imposes automatically increased minimum penalties above 0.16%, which is double the standard limit. Refusing a chemical test after a lawful arrest triggers a license suspension under implied consent, separate from any DUI conviction.
Getting the permit
- Minimum age: 16 for a Level One Learner’s Permit. Delaware does not issue at 15.
- Driver education: required for applicants under 18, from a certified Delaware course.
- Supervised driving: 50 hours logged, including 10 at night.
- Documents: identity, legal presence, Social Security number, and two proofs of Delaware residency.
- Parent or guardian must be present to sign if you are under 18.
- Online: you cannot apply for a first permit online. It is in person only.
Distances and timings
- Following distance: three seconds in good conditions, four or more in rain, at night, or behind a large vehicle.
- Fire hydrant: no parking within 15 feet.
- Never park: on a crosswalk, on a sidewalk, in an intersection, or where you block someone’s view.
- Uphill with a curb: wheels away from the curb. Downhill: wheels toward the curb.
- Slow-moving vehicle emblem (orange triangle): that vehicle travels under 25 mph. Your closing speed is higher than it looks.
Right of way, in one screen
- Four-way stop, arriving together: the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
- Roundabout: yield to traffic already circulating.
- Turning left on a plain green: yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Green is permission to enter, not priority to cross.
- Marked crosswalk: yield, and never pass a vehicle stopped at one.
- School bus with red lights flashing: stop and stay stopped until the lights go off and the arm folds in.
- Emergency vehicle with siren: pull right and stop, never inside an intersection.
- Stopped emergency vehicle on the shoulder: move over a lane if safe, otherwise slow right down.
- Trains: always have priority, and a second train may follow on another track.
Signs, which are a third of your marks
Shapes: octagon is stop and nothing else. Upside-down triangle is yield. Diamond warns. Pentagon means school. Round means a railroad crossing ahead, a crossbuck means you are at it. A pennant on the left marks a no passing zone.
Colors: red prohibits, yellow warns about the road, orange means workers, fluorescent yellow-green means people crossing, green guides, blue means services, brown means parks, white with black lettering is law.
Ten easy marks sit here. Drill them with the Delaware road signs test.
Use this properly
A cheat sheet is for the last read-through, not a substitute for the manual. The Delaware Driver Manual is the source of every exam question and it is free from the DMV. Read it, use this page to check the numbers stuck, then take the full practice test until you are consistently above 90%. For documents and the whole process, see the Delaware permit guide.
Disclaimer: Pass The Permit is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles or any government agency. Laws change and local ordinances vary. Always confirm current figures against the official Delaware Driver Manual and Title 21 of the Delaware Code before relying on them.