Crashes, insurance and registration in Delaware

By the end of this topic you can

• You can follow the right steps at a crash scene.
• You can say when a crash must be reported to police.
• You can list the information drivers must exchange.
• You can state Delaware's minimum insurance coverage and the penalty for driving uninsured.
• You can describe the steps to register a car.

What you need to know and understand

• If you are involved in a crash, you must stop. Leaving the scene of an injury crash before police speak to you is a crime.
• Report to police when anyone is hurt or killed, when damage on a public highway appears to be $2,000 or more, or when a driver seems impaired by alcohol or drugs.
• If no one is hurt and your car is blocking traffic, make every reasonable effort to move it.
• Minimum insurance: PIP of $15,000 per person and $30,000 per crash, liability of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash, and $10,000 for property damage.
• Driving uninsured brings a fine of $1,500 to $2,000 and a 6-month license suspension for a first offense.
• New residents must title and register their vehicles within 60 days.

At the scene

1. Stop at the crash site and turn off the engines of damaged vehicles. Do not smoke nearby.
2. If no one is injured and a vehicle is blocking traffic, move it out of the way if you reasonably can.
3. Warn other traffic with hazard lights, flares or other warning devices, and stay out of traffic lanes. Keep away from downed power lines.
4. If anyone is hurt, call police and emergency services. Do not move an injured person unless they are in immediate danger, such as from fire.
5. Exchange your name, address, vehicle registration number, driver license number, and insurance company and policy number. Collect names and addresses of witnesses.
6. If you hit a parked vehicle and cannot find the owner, leave a note where it can be seen, with how to reach you and the date and time.

When police must be told

Report the crash right away to the local police agency when anyone is injured or killed, when it happens on a public highway with apparent damage of $2,000 or more, or when a driver involved appears to be impaired by alcohol or drugs, whatever the damage.

Insurance you must carry

Delaware requires personal injury protection (PIP) of at least $15,000 per person and $30,000 per crash, bodily injury liability of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash, and $10,000 for property damage. Keep your Delaware insurance ID card, paper or electronic, in the vehicle at all times. Before you cancel insurance for any reason, surrender the license plate to the DMV, or you face fines. A later uninsured offense within three years costs $3,000 to $4,000.

Titling and registering a car

• Buy liability insurance from a company licensed in Delaware.
• Have the vehicle inspected at a DMV inspection lane. Inspections are free for Delaware residents, and newer vehicles in their first seven model years generally do not need one, apart from a VIN check if never titled in Delaware.
• Apply for a title and registration. The title is $35 without a lien and $55 with one, registration is $40 per year, and a vehicle coming from another state pays a 5.25% document fee unless a similar tax was paid within 90 days.
• If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must sign your title application.

Common mistakes

• Driving away from a minor crash without exchanging details. You must stop and share your information.
• Leaving a damaged but drivable car blocking traffic when no one is hurt. Move it if you reasonably can.
• Canceling insurance before handing in the plate. Surrender the plate first.
• Letting registration lapse. It expires at midnight on the date shown, with no grace period.

Test yourself: Crashes, insurance and registration in Delaware

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Go deeper

• Delaware Permit Test
• Delaware Driver’s Ed and the Blue Certificate
• Delaware Driving Privilege Card