Regulatory signs (speed limits, stop, yield, lane use, turns, parking)
Regulatory signs state a legal requirement, not a warning or a suggestion. Delaware's signs exam tests whether you can identify the command from the sign's shape and color, know the default rule when no sign is posted, and apply the sign at the correct point on the road.
Core rules
- Stop (red octagon): make a complete stop at the stop line. If there is no line, stop at the crosswalk; if neither exists, stop at the edge of the intersecting roadway. Then yield to traffic and pedestrians.
- Yield (red-and-white inverted triangle): slow down and give the right-of-way. Stop only if traffic or pedestrians require it.
- Speed limit (white rectangle, black numerals): the maximum lawful speed under good conditions. Delaware's default is 25 mph in residential and business districts unless a sign posts a different number.
- Lane use: a white arrow on a black or white sign tells you the only permitted movement from that lane. A shared center two-way left-turn lane is for left turns only, not through travel.
- Turns: Delaware permits a right turn on red after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it, and a left turn on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street unless prohibited. "No Turn on Red" overrides both defaults.
- Parking: "No Parking" allows a brief stop to load or unload if you stay with the vehicle; "No Standing" allows only passenger pickup or drop-off; "No Stopping" allows neither.
Worked example
You reach a red light at an intersection and see a NO TURN ON RED sign. Your default instinct is that Delaware allows a right turn on red after stopping. The sign overrides that default. Because it prohibits turning on red generally, it also blocks a left turn on red from the one-way street onto the other one-way street. Wait for the green.
Traps that cost marks
A rolling stop fails; the stop must be complete and before the crosswalk. Yield does not always require a stop, but failing to yield is a violation. An advisory speed plaque on a yellow warning sign is not a regulatory speed limit. Do not treat "No Parking" as "No Standing," and do not turn on red before stopping at the line.
Key points
- Stop at the line, then the crosswalk, then the roadway edge.
- Yield means give way, not necessarily stop.
- Delaware default: 25 mph in residential and business districts.
- Right on red requires a full stop first.
- "No Turn on Red" cancels the right-on-red default.
- Lane-use arrows are mandatory, not advisory.