Everything a Rhode Island parent needs in one place — required practice hours, night-driving rules, permit age, and what the written test looks like — plus a free log that keeps the hours straight.
Requirements summarized from the official Rhode Island driver handbook.
Rhode Island’s seat belt law is a primary law for all ages, so you can be pulled over if anyone is unbuckled. Drivers are responsible for compliance, and the fine is $40.00 per occupant.
Drive at or below posted speed limits: Rhode Island law sets 25 miles per hour (mph) in residential areas and 50-65 mph on most highways. A posted speed limit is the maximum for ideal conditions, so slow down when road, weather, construction, pedestrian, or traffic conditions require it.
Any person of any age with a BAC of .08% or more faces DUI, while any person under the age of twenty-one (21) with a BAC of .02% but less than .08% faces DWI. Drivers under the age of 18 may not use a cell phone—including hands-free or speakerphone—except in an emergency, and texting while driving is forbidden.
When a school bus’s red lights are flashing, drivers approaching from either direction must stop and remain stopped until the lights stop flashing, except when the bus is opposite them on a divided highway. Drivers turning right on red must first stop completely and yield to pedestrians and other vehicles.
On an interstate or multilane roadway, move to a lane away from the designated vehicle as soon as it is safe; if you cannot safely move over, slow down. For an approaching emergency vehicle, pull right and stop until it passes, and always drive 500 feet behind emergency vehicles.
At an intersection without signs or signals, treat it as a yield; when two (2) vehicles approach or enter at approximately the same time, the driver on the left must yield to the vehicle on the right.
What happens to the likelihood of a crash when a driver looks away from the path of travel for two or more seconds?
Looking away from the path of travel for at least two seconds doubles the likelihood of a crash.
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