Delaware · Handbook chapter 6 · 5 min read

Chapter 6: Pavement markings, lanes, turns and railroad crossings

Delaware's white and yellow lines, reversible, reserved and shared center lanes, roundabouts, diverging diamonds, turning and passing rules, and railroad crossings.

Why this chapter matters

Lines on the road tell you when you may pass, change lanes or turn. Roundabouts and railroad crossings also feature on the test. Know which lines you may cross and which you may not.

White lines

• Solid white edge line: the outside edge of the travel lane.
• Broken white line between lanes going the same way: you may cross to change lanes when safe.
• Solid white line between lanes: lane changes are discouraged.
• Double solid white lines: lane changes are prohibited.
• Stop lines and crosswalks: when a sign or signal tells you to stop, stop before the stop line or crosswalk. Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, marked or not.

Yellow lines

Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions.

• Broken yellow: you may pass when safe.
• Solid and broken yellow: if the solid line is on your side, you may not pass; if the broken line is on your side, you may pass when safe.
• Double solid yellow: neither side may pass.
• Turning into a driveway across a solid yellow line is allowed when it is safe.

Special lanes

• Reversible lanes, marked with double broken yellow lines, change direction at certain times. A green arrow above means you may use the lane, a red X means you may not, and a steady yellow X means the lane is changing, so move out as soon as it is safe.
• Reserved lanes carry signs such as Transit or Bus, Bicycle, or HOV. HOV 3 means at least three people in the vehicle.
• Shared center lanes, with a solid and a broken yellow line on each side and alternating left-turn arrows, are for left turns (and U-turns where allowed) by both directions. They are not passing lanes.

General lane rules

• Never back up in a travel lane except to parallel park or leave a driveway. If you miss a turn or exit, go on and turn around safely.
• Do not stop in a travel lane; keep going until you can pull off safely.
• On a road with two or more lanes your way, keep right except to pass. With three or more lanes and lots of entering traffic, use the center lane.
• Delaware allows passing a left-turning vehicle on the right, even using the shoulder, but it is crash-prone and needs extreme care.

Turning

• Where nothing says otherwise, turn from the lane nearest your direction into the lane nearest the one you came from.
• On right turns, do not swing wide to the left first.
• On left turns, do not cut the corner, and leave room for oncoming cars turning left.
• With two or more marked turning lanes, stay in your lane through the turn.
• At median crossings, keep to the right of the opening; if a crossing is marked for emergency vehicles only, you may not use it.
• Signal for at least 300 feet before turning.

Roundabouts

A roundabout moves traffic counterclockwise around a central island.

1. Choose your lane as at a four-way intersection: right lane to turn right, left lane to turn left or make a U-turn, any lane to go straight.
2. Stay right of the splitter island and slow to 10 to 15 mph.
3. Let bicyclists merge in, and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
4. Yield to traffic already in the roundabout.
5. Once inside, you have the right-of-way over entering traffic. Do not stop except to avoid a collision, keep to the right of the island, keep your speed down and do not pass.
6. Watch for pedestrians and bicyclists as you exit.

Diverging diamond interchanges

At a diverging diamond (DDI), traffic briefly drives on the left side of the road inside the interchange so left turns can be made without crossing oncoming traffic.

Railroad crossings

• A round yellow sign with an X and RR warns of a crossing ahead; there may be an X and RR painted on the road with a stop bar.
• The white X-shaped crossbuck means the same as a YIELD sign: yield to trains.
• When lights flash, you must stop. Never drive around a lowered gate. If there is a bell, do not cross until it stops.
• A number-of-tracks sign warns of more than one track. If there is no such sign, check for yourself.
• Never start across unless there is room on the far side, and do not shift gears on the tracks.
• After one train passes, wait until it is well down the track; another may be hidden behind it.
• Every crossing has a blue Emergency Notification System sign with a phone number and a crossing ID number to report problems.