State Laws & Funding | News | Meetings | Issues | Publications | Projects | Links | About Us | Members Only
State Laws & Funding
Rhode Island
Below is a list of the key highway safety laws in Rhode Island. For more information, contact the Rhode Island Office on Highway Safety.
| Aggressive Driver Actions | Comments |
| Speeding and at least two of the following: failure to obey traffic control device, overtaking on the right, driving outside the lanes of traffic, following too closely, failure to yield right of way, entering roadway unsafely, failure to use turn signals, failure to stop or yield at signs, use of emergency lane for travel. | |
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Handheld Ban | All Cell Phone Ban | Text Messaging Ban | Crash Data |
||||||
| School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | All Drivers | School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | |||||
| Yes (Primary) |
<18 (Primary) |
Yes (Primary) |
Covered under all driver ban | Yes | |||||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Child Restraint Required unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Adult Safety Belt Permissible unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| <7 (and <80 and <57") in rear seat if available | <7 (and >80 or >57"); 8 - 17 | $75 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Per Se Laws for Drugs (Forbidding Prohibited Substances in Driver's Body) | DEC/DRE Programs (Providing Law Enforcement Training) |
| Yes | Yes |
Source: State Highway Safety Offices.
| Admin. License Suspen- sion on 1st Offense |
Limited Driving Privileges During Suspension | Inc. Penalty for High BAC | Open Container Laws | Repeat Offender Laws | Vehicle and License Plate Sanctions | Ignition Interlocks | Alcohol Exclusion Laws Limiting Treatment Opportunity | |
| .1 - less than .15 (.15 and higher) |
Yes | Judicial discretion on 3rd or subsequent conviction | Judicial discretion on 3rd or subsequent conviction | |||||
Sources: Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Learner Stage | Intermediate Stage | Full Privilege Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Required Supervised Driving Hours (Night Hours) |
||||
| Min. Age (Yrs./ Mos.) |
Min. Dura- tion (Mos.) |
Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Night- time Driving Restriction |
Passenger Restriction* (* family members exempt) |
|||
| 16 | 6 | 16 / 6 | 1 a.m. - 5 a.m. | First 12 mos.–no more than 1 pass. <21* | 17 / 6 | 50 (10) | |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) an
| Motorcyclists | Bicyclists | ||
| Universal Helmet Law (Year Enacted) | Partial Law | Universal Helmet Law Repealed | |
| < 21 or any new operator within one year after license issued; all passengers | 1976 | <16 | |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Length of Regular Renewal Cycle (Yrs.) | Provisions for Mature Drivers |
| 5 | Renewal every 2 yrs. for >75 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Type of Law | Who is Covered (Yrs.) | In What Seat | Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| Secondary | >18 (law is primary for <18) | All | $75 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Permitted on Sidewalks/Bicycle Paths | Permitted on Roads | Helmets Required | Minimum Age | Pedestrian Laws Apply |
| Sidewalks and bicycle paths | Yes unless highway prohibits bicycles | 16 | Yes | |
Sources: Segway LLC and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Checkpoints Conducted? | Comments |
| No | Illegal under state constitution |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Rural Interstates | Urban Interstates | Other Limited Access Roads | |||
| Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
| 65 | 65 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 |
Rhode Island speed limits not set by law, but by state traffic commission.
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| State Law | Violations | Location | Citation Issued To / Liability |
Image / Privacy | Penalties (Traditional Penalties) | Defenses |
| Permitted | Red light | Providence | Registered owner | 2 or more images of vehicle and tag in any medium / Not part of public record; must be kept private and destroyed w/in 90 days if no violation and w/in one year of disposition for those w/ violation | $75 max.; not a criminal or record offense; not a moving violation; not to be used by insurers until final adjudication ($75 max.) |
|
| School bus safety violations | $500; not a criminal or record offense; not a moving violation; not to be used by insurers ($500) |
|||||
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Multiple of Original Fine | Violations Affected | Workers Must Be Present | |
| Double | Speeding | No | |
Sources: National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse and State Highway Safety Offices.