Title 31, Title 31 and Other Vehicles

No vehicle shall at any time be driven through or within a safety zone. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.

(a) The driver of any motor vehicle when traveling upon a down grade shall not coast with the gears of the vehicle in neutral. (b) The driver of a commercial motor vehicle, when traveling upon a down grade, shall not coast with the clutch disengaged. (c) Violations of this sectio…

The driver of any vehicle other than one on official business, shall not follow any fire apparatus traveling in response to a fire alarm closer than five hundred feet (500′), or drive into or park the vehicle within the block where fire apparatus has stopped in answer to a fire a…

No vehicle shall be driven over any unprotected hose of a fire department when it is laid down on any street, or private driveway to be used at any fire or alarm of fire, without the consent of the fire department official in command. Violations of this section are subject to fin…

(a) No person shall throw or deposit upon any highway any glass bottle, glass, nails, tacks, wire, cans, or any other substance likely to injure any person, animal, or vehicle upon the highway, or likely to deface the beauty or cleanliness of the highway, nor shall any person in …

(a) It is a civil violation for any person to drive or move, or for the owner, employer or employee to cause or knowingly permit to be driven or moved, on any highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles which is in such an unsafe condition as to endanger any person, or which d…

No vehicle shall be equipped with nor shall any person use upon a vehicle any siren, whistle, or bell, except as permitted in §§ 31-23-9, 31-23-11 and 31-23-12. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.

Any authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with a siren, whistle, or bell, capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred feet (500′) and of a type approved by the registry. The siren shall not be used except when the…

(a) A joint committee for volunteer permits, three (3) of whom shall be appointed by the president of the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs and two (2) of whom shall be appointed by the president of the Rhode Island Association of Police Chiefs, shall take responsibility fo…

The motor vehicle equipment (station wagon) of the Salvation Army, with headquarters located in Providence, Rhode Island, is declared to be an authorized emergency vehicle and may be equipped with a siren, whistle, or bell as provided in § 31-23-11.

(a) The motor vehicle equipment belonging to the Providence Canteen with headquarters in Providence, Rhode Island, is declared to be an authorized emergency vehicle and may be equipped with a siren, whistle, or bell as provided in § 31-23-11. (b) Any operator of the Providence Ca…

Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and annoying smoke. No person shall use a muffler cutout, bypass, or similar device upon a motor vehicle on a highway. Any exhau…

No person shall alter the height of or operate a motor vehicle with an altered height that has an original manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of up to and including ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs.), by elevating or lowering the chassis or body by more than four inches (4…

The engine and power mechanism of every motor vehicle shall be so equipped and adjusted as to prevent the escape of excessive fumes or smoke. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.

Every truck operated, owned, or leased by the state of Rhode Island or a political subdivision of the state shall be equipped with a fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher shall contain a potassium bicarbonate base dry chemical fire extinguishing agent having an underwriter’s l…

(a) Every motor vehicle which is so constructed or loaded as to obstruct the driver’s view to the rear of it from the driver’s position shall be equipped with a mirror so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred feet (200′) …

(a) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material, or dirt, snow, or ice upon the front windshield, side wings, or side or rear windows of the vehicle which obstructs the driver’s clear view of the highway or any intersecting high…

(a) The windshield on every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a device for cleaning rain, snow, or other moisture from the windshield, which device shall be so constructed as to be controlled or operated by the driver of the vehicle. (b) Every windshield wiper upon a motor veh…

Every solid rubber tire on a vehicle shall have rubber on its entire traction surface at least one inch thick above the edge of the flange of the entire periphery.

No person shall operate or move on any highway any motor vehicle, trailer, or semi-trailer having any metal tire in contact with the roadway. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.

(a) Nothing contained in this chapter or chapter 24 of this title shall be construed to prohibit the use of additional parts and accessories on any vehicle not inconsistent with the provisions of these chapters. (b) No person shall install or adjust any equipment, part, or access…

No tires on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on its periphery any block, flange, cleat, or pointed spike or other protuberance of any material other than rubber which projects beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire except that: (1) It shall be permissible to …

The department of revenue and local authorities in their respective jurisdictions may in their discretion issue special permits authorizing the operation upon a highway of traction engines or tractors having movable tracks with transverse corrugations upon the periphery of the mo…

(a) No person shall sell any new motor vehicle as specified in this section, nor shall any new motor vehicle as specified in this section be registered, unless the vehicle is equipped with safety glass of a type approved by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles wher…

No person shall replace any glass on any motor vehicle at a place where safety glass is required unless the replacement is made with safety glass approved by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles.

“Safety glass” means any product composed of glass manufactured, fabricated, or treated as substantially to prevent shattering and flying of the glass when struck or broken, or any other or similar product that may be approved by the administrator of the division of motor vehicle…

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall compile and publish a list of types of glass by name approved by him or her as meeting the requirements of §§ 31-23-22 — 31-23-24. The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall not register any motor vehicle wh…

No person shall operate any motor vehicle on any public highway of this state unless the vehicle is equipped with fenders covering the front wheels of the motor vehicle, or operate any passenger motor vehicle on any public highway equipped with tires which extend beyond the fende…

No person shall operate or cause to be operated any bus, truck, full trailer or semi-trailer, of registered gross weight exceeding three (3) tons, on any public highway in this state unless it is equipped with suitable metal protectors or substantial flexible flaps behind the rea…

Any person who violates any provision of §§ 31-23-26 and 31-23-27 shall be fined not more than fifty dollars ($50.00) or imprisoned not more than thirty (30) days, or both fine and imprisonment.

(a) No person shall operate any truck, truck/tractor or passenger bus upon any highway unless there shall be carried flares and/or warning devices for stopped and/or disabled vehicles. (b) These flares and/or warning devices shall conform and be displayed according to regulations…

The provisions of this chapter and chapter 24 of this title with respect to equipment on vehicles shall not apply to farm vehicles, road machinery, road rollers, or farm tractors except as made applicable in these chapters.

(a) For the purpose of this section, “explosives and other hazardous materials” is defined as those materials and substances described and classified as such by the hazardous materials regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation (parts of the Code of Federal Regulations …

(a) No television viewer, screen, or other means of visually receiving a television broadcast shall be located in the field of view of the operator of the motor vehicle. Any person who drives or causes to be driven any motor vehicle in violation of the provisions of this section …

It is unlawful for any person to buy, sell, lease, trade, or transfer from or to Rhode Island residents at retail an automobile, which is manufactured or assembled commencing with the 1964 models, unless the vehicle is equipped with safety belts installed for use in the left fron…

(a) Every motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle, when operated upon a highway, shall be equipped with brakes adequate to control the movement of and to stop and hold the vehicle, including two (2) separate means of applying the brakes, each of which means s…

All safety belts must be of a type and must be installed in a manner approved by the division of motor vehicles. The division of motor vehicles shall establish specifications and requirements for approved types of safety belts and attachments to them. The division of motor vehicl…

Every jitney, bus, private bus, school bus, and trackless trolley coach, when operated upon a highway, shall be equipped with a driver’s seat safety belt device sufficiently anchored and attached and so constructed, designed, and installed as to support a loop-load strength of no…

Every school bus as defined in § 31-1-3 shall be equipped with a first-aid kit containing those articles and appliances generally included in an approved American Red Cross first-aid kit used in the administration of first-aid treatment. Every school bus shall also be equipped wi…

Every school bus as defined in § 31-1-3 shall be equipped with a system of mirrors that will give the seated driver a view of the roadway to each side of the bus, and the area immediately in front of the front bumper, in accordance with the following specifications: (1) At least …

(a) Every new school bus within the state shall be equipped with a dual braking system, including a power braking system, and power steering. (b) All school buses, model year 2010 and newer, shall have emergency brakes that are equipped with an interlock system so designed that t…

(a) Every bus having a seat capacity of more than seven (7) passengers, every truck with a gross weight of more than seven thousand pounds (7,000 lbs.), and every tractor or trailer, or combination, operated upon the public highways shall be equipped with one pair of approved whe…

All wheel safety chock blocks described in § 31-23-43 must be a type approved by the division of motor vehicles, and the division of motor vehicles shall establish specifications and requirements for approved types of wheel safety chock blocks. The specifications and requirements…

(a) No tire on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on its periphery less than two thirty-seconds (2/32) of an inch of tread depth. The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is authorized to remove from a highway any vehicle not conforming to this requirement and sha…

All vehicles in use by the department of environmental management shall be equipped with a fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher shall contain a potassium bicarbonate base dry chemical fire extinguishing agent, have an underwriter’s laboratory rating of six (6) B:C, and a capa…

(a) Except where otherwise specifically provided in this section, every motor vehicle designed for operation at speeds not in excess of twenty-five miles per hour (25 mph) shall at all times be equipped with a slow moving vehicle emblem mounted on the rear of the vehicle, which e…