Title 55, Motor and Other Vehicles

Every person riding an animal or driving any animal-drawn vehicle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter and chapter 10, parts 1-5 of this title, except those provisions of …

The provisions of this chapter and chapter 10, parts 1-5 of this title applicable to drivers of vehicles upon the highways shall apply to the drivers of all vehicles owned or operated by the United States, this state or any county, city, town, district or any other political subd…

Unless specifically made applicable, the provisions of this chapter and chapter 10, parts 1-5 of this title, except those contained in § 55-10-205, shall not apply to persons, teams, motor vehicles and other equipment while actually engaged in work upon the surface of a highway o…

(a) The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, when responding to an emergency call, or when in the pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, or when responding to but not upon returning from a fire alarm, may exercise the privileges set forth in this section, bu…

(a) The driver of any vehicle and the operator of any streetcar shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device applicable thereto placed in accordance with this chapter and chapter 10, parts 1-5 of this title, unless otherwise directed by a traffic or police o…

(a) Whenever traffic is controlled by traffic-control signals exhibiting the words “Go,” “Caution” or “Stop,” or exhibiting different colored lights successively one (1) at a time, or with arrows, the following colors only shall be used and the terms and lights shall indicate and…

(1) Walk. Whenever special pedestrian-control signals exhibiting the words “Walk” or “Wait” or “Don't Walk” are in place, these signals shall indicate as follows:(1) Walk. Pedestrians facing the signals may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal and shall be gi…

(a) Whenever an illuminated flashing red or yellow signal is used in a traffic sign or signal, it shall require obedience by vehicular traffic as follows:(1) Flashing red (stop signal). When a red lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, and the light is clearly visib…

(a) No person shall place, maintain or display upon or in view of any highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or device that purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official traffic control device or railroad sign or signal, or that attempts to direct the move…

(a) No person shall, without lawful authority, attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure, knock down or remove any official traffic-control device or any railroad sign or signal or any inscription, shield or insignia or other part of the device, sign or signal. (b) A violation …

(a) Upon all roadways of sufficient width, a vehicle shall be driven upon the right half of the roadway, except as follows:(1) When overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction under the rules governing such movement;(2) When the right half of a roadway…

Drivers of vehicles proceeding in opposite directions shall pass each other to the right, and upon roadways having width for not more than one (1) line of traffic in each direction, each driver shall give to the other at least one-half (½) of the main-traveled portion of the road…

(1) The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions and special rules hereinafter stated:(1) The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shal…

(a) The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions:(1) When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn;(2) Upon a street or highway with unobstructed pavement not occupied by parked vehicles of…

No vehicle shall be driven to the left side of the center of the roadway in overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, unless the left side is clearly visible and is free from oncoming traffic for a sufficient distance ahead to permit overtaking and …

(a) No vehicle shall at any time be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions:(1) When approaching the crest of a grade or upon a curve in the highway where the driver's view is obstructed within three hundred feet (300′) or such distance as to create …

The department of transportation is authorized to determine those portions of any highway where overtaking and passing or driving to the left of the roadway would be especially hazardous and may by appropriate signs or markings on the roadway indicate the beginning and end of tho…

(a) The department of transportation may designate any highway or any separate roadway under its jurisdiction for one-way traffic and shall erect appropriate signs giving notice thereof. (b) Upon a roadway designated and signposted for one-way traffic, a vehicle shall be driven o…

(1) Whenever any roadway has been divided into two (2) or more clearly marked lanes for traffic, the following rules, in addition to all others consistent with this section, shall apply:(1) A vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and shall…

(a) The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of the vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway. (b) The driver of any motor truck or motor vehicle towing another…

Whenever any highway has been divided into two (2) roadways by leaving an intervening space or by a physical barrier or clearly indicated dividing section so constructed as to impede vehicular traffic, every vehicle shall be driven only upon the right-hand roadway and no vehicle …

(a) No person shall drive a vehicle onto or from any controlled-access roadway except at entrances and exits that are established by public authority. (b) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

(a) The department of transportation and local authorities may, with respect to any controlled-access roadway under their respective jurisdictions, prohibit the use of that roadway by pedestrians, bicycles or other nonmotorized traffic or by any person operating a motorscooter. (…

(a) The driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle which has entered the intersection from a different highway or drive. (b) When two (2) vehicles enter an intersection from different highways or drives at approximately the same time…

(a) The driver of a vehicle within an intersection intending to turn to the left shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is within the intersection or so close thereto as to constitute an immediate hazard, but the driver, having s…

(a) The driver of a vehicle shall stop as required by § 55-8-149 at the entrance to a through highway and shall yield the right-of-way to other vehicles which have entered the intersection from the through highway or which are approaching so closely on the through highway as to c…

The driver of a vehicle about to enter or cross a highway from a drive, private road, or private driveway shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching on the highway. As used in this section, “drive” has the same meaning as defined in § 55-8-128.

(a) Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle making use of audible and visual signals meeting the requirements of the applicable laws of this state, or of a police vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible signal only:(1) The driver of every oth…

(a) Pedestrians shall be subject to traffic-control signals at intersections as provided in § 55-8-110, and at all other places, pedestrians shall be accorded the privileges and shall be subject to the restrictions stated in this chapter and chapter 10, parts 1-5 of this title. (…

(a) (1) Unless in a marked school zone when a warning flasher or flashers are in operation, when traffic-control signals are not in place or not in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian cr…

(a) Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway. (b) Any pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian tunnel o…

(a) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this chapter, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway, and shall give warning by sounding the horn when necessary, and shall exercise proper precaution upon observing…

Pedestrians shall move, whenever practicable, upon the right half of crosswalks.

(a) Except as provided in this section, where sidewalks are provided, it is unlawful for any pedestrian to walk or use a wheelchair along and upon an adjacent roadway. (b) Where sidewalks are not provided or are obstructed, any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall, w…

(a) (1) No person shall stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride or employment from the occupant of any vehicle.(2) It is an offense for an occupant of a vehicle to park, leave standing, or stop the vehicle on a street or highway and to block or impede the normal m…

(1) Right Turns. The driver of a vehicle intending to turn at an intersection shall do so as follows:(1) Right Turns. Both the approach for a right turn and a right turn shall be made as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway;(2) Left Turns on Two-way …

(a) No vehicle shall be turned so as to proceed in the opposite direction upon any curve, or upon the approach to or near the crest of a grade, where the vehicle cannot be seen by the driver of any other vehicle approaching from either direction within five hundred feet (500′). (…

(a) No person shall turn a vehicle at an intersection unless the vehicle is in proper position upon the roadway as required in § 55-8-140, or turn a vehicle to enter a private road or driveway, or otherwise turn a vehicle from a direct course or move right or left upon a roadway,…

(a) Every driver who intends to start, stop or turn, or partly turn from a direct line, shall first see that that movement can be made in safety, and whenever the operation of any other vehicle may be affected by such movement, shall give a signal required in this section, plainl…

(a) Any stop or turn signal required by this chapter shall be given either by means of the hand and arm or by a signal lamp or lamps or mechanical signal device approved by the department of safety as provided in § 55-8-143, except as otherwise provided in subsection (b). (b) Any…

(a) Whenever any person driving a vehicle approaches a railroad grade crossing under any of the circumstances stated in this section, the driver of the vehicle shall stop within fifty feet (50′) but not less than fifteen feet (15′) from the nearest rail of the railroad, and shall…

(a) The department of transportation, and local authorities, with the approval of the department, are authorized to designate particularly dangerous highway grade crossings of railroads and to erect stop signs at those locations. When stop signs are erected, the driver of any veh…

(a) The driver of any motor vehicle carrying passengers for hire, or of any school bus whether or not the school bus is carrying any school child, or of any vehicle carrying explosive substances or flammable liquids as a cargo or part of a cargo, before crossing at grade any trac…

(a) No person shall operate or move any crawler-type tractor, steam shovel, derrick, roller, or any equipment or structure having a normal operating speed of ten (10) or less miles per hour or a vertical body or load clearance of less than one-half inch (½″) per foot of the dista…

(a) Every stop sign shall bear the word “Stop” in letters not less than eight inches (8″) in height and the sign shall at nighttime be rendered luminous by steady or flashing internal illumination, or by a fixed floodlight projected on the face of the sign, or by efficient reflec…

The driver of a vehicle within a business or residence district emerging from an alley, driveway or building shall stop the vehicle immediately prior to driving onto a sidewalk or onto the sidewalk area extending across any alleyway or driveway, and shall yield the right-of-way t…