Title 31, Title 31 and Other Vehicles

(a) The extent of liability to a dealer regarding repair work shall be limited to the gross charge for the repair work. (b) Dealers shall not be liable for transportation or rental costs during the time in which repairs are made. (c) In any action regarding dealers involving §§ 3…

(a) Upon filing of a claim, a manufacturer or distributor shall compensate a dealer for any incentive or reimbursement program sponsored by the manufacturer or distributor, under the terms of which the dealer is eligible for compensation. (b)(1) A claim filed under this section s…

(a) Unfair methods of competition, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices, as defined in this chapter, are declared to be unlawful. (b) In construing subsection (a) of this section, the courts may be guided by the interpretations of § 45 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15…

(a) It shall be deemed a violation of this chapter for any manufacturer or motor vehicle dealer to engage in any action that is arbitrary, in bad faith, or unconscionable and that causes damage to any of the parties involved or to the public. (b) It shall be deemed a violation of…

(a)(1) Right of designated family member to succeed in dealership ownership. Any owner of a new motor vehicle dealership may appoint by will or any other written instrument a designated family member to succeed in the ownership interest of that owner in the new motor vehicle deal…

(a) In the event that a manufacturer seeks to enter into a franchise establishing an additional new motor vehicle dealership, adding an additional location for an existing new motor vehicle dealership, or relocating an existing new motor vehicle dealership within or into a releva…

Every manufacturer shall specify to the dealer the delivery and preparation obligations of its motor vehicle dealers prior to delivery of new motor vehicles to retail buyers. A copy of the delivery and preparation obligations of its motor vehicle dealers, and a schedule of the co…

(a) Every manufacturer shall properly fulfill any warranty agreement and adequately and fairly compensate each of its motor vehicle dealers for labor and parts. In no event shall that compensation fail to include reasonable compensation for diagnostic work, as well as repair serv…

(a) A manufacturer shall compensate its new motor vehicle dealers for all labor and parts required by the manufacturer to perform recall repairs. Compensation for recall repairs shall be at the dealer retail rate in effect at the time the recall repair work is performed. The deal…

It shall be unlawful directly or indirectly to impose unreasonable restrictions on the motor vehicle dealer or franchisee relative to transfer, sale, right to renew, termination, discipline, non-competition covenants, site-control (whether by sublease, collateral pledge of lease,…

The provisions of this chapter shall apply to all written or oral agreements between a manufacturer and a motor vehicle dealer including, but not limited to, the franchise offering; the franchise agreement; sales of goods, services, or advertising; leases of mortgages of real or …

Notwithstanding the terms of any franchise agreement, it shall be a violation of this law for any new motor vehicle manufacturer to fail to indemnify and hold harmless its franchised new motor vehicle dealers against any judgment or settlement for damages including, but not limit…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “School Bus Safety Enforcement Act.”

(a) All school departments of this state are hereby authorized to install and operate live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring systems. Such systems shall, at a minimum, be systems which monitor and detect school bus traffic violations. For purposes of this ch…

(a) All vehicles installed with a live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system shall post a warning sign indicating the use of such system. (b) Warning signage shall remain on each vehicle as long as a live digital video school bus violation detection monit…

(a) Any vehicle being operated upon a street, highway, private way or private or public parking area upon meeting or overtaking from any direction any school bus on which there is in operation flashing red lights, shall stop before reaching the bus. The vehicle shall not proceed …

(a) Except as expressly provided in this chapter, all prosecutions based on evidence produced by a live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system shall follow the procedures established in chapter 41.1 of this title, chapter 18 of title 8, and the rules promu…

Evidence from a live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system shall be considered substantive evidence in the prosecution of all civil traffic violations. Evidence from a live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system approved by the sch…

(a) The registered owner of a motor vehicle shall not operate or allow the motor vehicle to be operated in violation of this chapter. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that the registered owner of the vehicle that is photographed pursuant to this chapter was operating the v…

The revenue generated from each fine imposed pursuant to this chapter shall be allocated as follows: (1) Forty percent (40%) to the state general fund; (2)(i) Thirty percent (30%) to the municipality where the violation takes place; and (ii) Thirty percent (30%) to the vendor who…

Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the use of evidence produced by a live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system in a criminal or private civil proceeding provided that the admissibility of such evidence shall not follow the applicable laws and rules o…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law: (a) No violation for which a civil fine is imposed under this chapter shall be considered a moving violation, nor shall be included on the driving record of the person on whom the liability is imposed, nor shall it be used for insurance…

(a) The recorded images and live video produced by a live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system shall not be deemed “public records” subject to disclosure pursuant to subdivision 38-2-2(4)(i). (b) All recorded images and live video that do not identify a …

The school department authorizing the installation of a live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system shall prepare an annual report containing data on: (1) The number of citations issued; (2) The number of those violations paid; (3) The number of those viol…

The following words and phrases, for the purposes of this chapter, have the following meanings: (1) “Consumer” means a buyer, other than for purposes of resale, of a motor vehicle, any person to whom that motor vehicle is transferred for the same purposes during the duration of a…

An aggrieved consumer or lessee may bring an action under the Rules of Civil Procedure in the superior court to enforce the provisions of this chapter.

The court hearing a complaint brought by a consumer or lessee aggrieved by a violation of this chapter shall award reasonable attorney’s fees to a prevailing plaintiff.

Any action brought pursuant to this chapter shall be commenced within three (3) years of the date of original delivery of the motor vehicle to the consumer or lessee or within two (2) years of the date on which the mileage on the motor vehicle reached fifteen thousand (15,000) mi…

A manufacturer’s failure to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall constitute a deceptive trade practice under the terms of chapter 13.1 of title 6. All of the public and private remedies provided for in chapter 13.1 of title 6 shall be available to enforce the p…

Whenever the term “consumer’s council automobile dispute settlement panel,” for the purpose of providing an independent arbitration procedure for the settlement of disputes between consumers or lessees and manufactures concerning motor vehicles which do not conform to all applica…

If a motor vehicle does not conform to any applicable express or implied warranties, including, but not limited to, the implied warranty of merchantability as defined in § 6A-2-314 and the implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose as defined in § 6A-2-315, and the cons…

(a)(1) If the manufacturer, its agent, or its authorized dealer or lessor does not conform the motor vehicle to any applicable express or implied warranty by curing any nonconformity after a reasonable number of attempts, the manufacturer shall accept return of the vehicle from t…

It shall be an affirmative defense to any claim under this section: (1) That an alleged nonconformity does not substantially impair the use, market value, or safety of the vehicle; or (2) That a nonconformity is the result of abuse, neglect, or unauthorized substantial modificati…

(a) A reasonable number of attempts shall be presumed to have been undertaken to conform a motor vehicle to any applicable express or implied warranties if: (1) The same nonconformity has been subject to repair four (4) or more times by the manufacturer or its agents or authorize…

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to limit the rights or remedies which are otherwise available to a consumer or lessee under law.

If a manufacturer has established an informal dispute settlement procedure which complies in all respects with the provisions of 16 CFR Part 703, or which has been approved by the federal trade commission or by the attorney general of this state, the provisions of § 31-5.2-3 conc…

(a) In addition to any settlement procedure provided for in § 31-5.2-7, the department of the attorney general shall provide an independent arbitration procedure for the settlement of disputes between consumers or lessees and manufacturers concerning motor vehicles which do not c…

Any agreement entered into by a consumer or lessee for the purchase or lease of a new motor vehicle which waives, limits, or disclaims the rights set forth in this chapter shall be void as contrary to public policy. These rights shall inure to a subsequent transferee of the motor…

No motor vehicle that is returned to the manufacturer under the provisions of this chapter shall be resold or re-leased in the state without clear and conspicuous written disclosure to the prospective purchaser or lessee prior to resale of the fact that it was so returned due to …

(a) “Funeral director” and “funeral establishment” shall have the same meanings set forth in chapter 5-33.2-1 of the general laws. (b) “Funeral escort” means a person or entity that provides escort services for funeral processions, including, but not limited to, law enforcement p…

(a) All nonlaw enforcement funeral escort vehicles and funeral lead vehicles shall be equipped with at least one lighted rotating or oscillating lamp exhibiting an amber light or lens visible under normal atmospheric conditions for a distance of at least five hundred (500) feet f…

(a) Operators of vehicles in a funeral procession must exercise due care when participating in a funeral procession. (b) A vehicle in a funeral procession shall follow the preceding vehicle in the funeral procession as closely as is practicable and safe. Any ordinance, law, or re…

(a) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, pedestrians and operators of all vehicles shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle which is part of a funeral procession being led by a funeral escort vehicle or a funeral lead vehicle. (b) Whenever the funeral escort v…

The operator of a vehicle that is not part of a funeral procession may not: (1) Drive between the vehicles forming a funeral procession while they are in motion except when authorized to do so by law enforcement personnel or when driving an authorized emergency vehicle emitting a…

(a) Liability for any death, personal injury or property damage suffered by any person in a funeral procession shall not be imposed upon the funeral director, funeral establishment, funeral escort or their employees or agents if the funeral procession was operating in compliance …

A dealer’s failure to comply with § 31-38-1 as to the inspection of used motor vehicles, shall constitute a deceptive trade practice under the terms of chapter 13.1 of title 6. All of the public and private remedies provided for in chapter 13.1 of title 6 shall be available to en…