Five Rhode Island Traffic Laws You Didn't Know About

Aftermarket Window Tint is Strictly Prohibited (So Are Window Tint Clings or Stickers)

Tinted windows might look cool depending upon the make, model and color of your vehicle but it is illegal to add color after the initial purchase of your car. R.I.G.L. § 31-23.3-2 sets strict standards on the opacity of your windows. The reason for this, of course, is that windows that are too heavily tinted reduce visibility, especially when driving at night.

Aftermarket window tint may not conform to those standards and, as a result, is prohibited by RI traffic law. The same goes for any form of tinted sticker or cling that can be applied to side windows or windshields.

Pets Transported in Pickup Trucks Must Be Restrained in a Harness

Taking your dog with you to the beach can be a blast! Depending on what kind of vehicle you drive, however, you may need a special type of harness in order to keep them (and other motorists) safe. If you are transporting animals in any kind of open-air vehicle (most notably pickup trucks, but also convertibles and some coupe utility vehicles), R.I.G.L. § 31-22-28 requires that they be secured in a harness, or physically restrained by someone other than the driver. If using a harness, it must secure them by something other than their neck.

Obviously, a restraint in open-air vehicles prevents the animal from leaping out into oncoming traffic, which can cause a major, preventable car accident and also injure your pet! Should they somehow make it out of the vehicle, a non-neck restraint ensures they are not choked and do not have their neck injured before you have the opportunity to bring them back into the vehicle.

If Your Windshield Wipers are On, Your Headlights Should Be, Too

Sometimes when it rains in the afternoon, it doesn’t get very dark. In fact, sun showers are feeling more and more common here in Rhode Island! Still, according to R.I.G.L. § 31-24-1, if weather conditions necessitate use of your windshield wipers, you should also be using your headlights.

In a blog post on our website, we discussed some of the benefits of headlight use during daytime hours. There is basically no reason not to! But even in a light drizzle, your visibility (and more importantly, the visibility of oncoming drivers) can be seriously reduced. Headlights help others see you, and allow you to more easily see them.

No Headphones or Ear Buds While Driving or Biking

According to R.I.G.L. § 31-23-51, you may not wear headphones or ear buds with music playing while driving an automobile or riding a bicycle. However, the law makes an exception when it comes to wired or Bluetooth ear pieces for cell phones. It is important to be able to hear while you are driving or riding your bike to avoid danger around you, and to ensure you can hear sirens from ambulances or fire trucks down the road.

You Must Clear Accumulated Snow Off Your Car Before Driving

Winter is coming…

We all dread waking up in the morning and realizing we have the extra chore of clearing snow off our cars before driving to work. But while it might be tempting to just brush off our windows, motorists are required to clear “any amount of accumulation that might reasonably be expected, when blowing off the vehicle, to obscure the vision of the operator of another vehicle” according to R.I.G.L. § 31-23-16. Of course natural accumulation that occurs while driving in bad weather is expected.

Driving with an accumulated amount of powder snow can create a mini-blizzard behind you. Worse yet, snow that has melted and re-frozen into sheets can fly off cars and smash into other motorists or pedestrians, which can cause preventable accidents and personal injury.

This post is brought to you by the Mike Bottaro Law Firm. For more information on our firm, look at our website here. For more news and information on personal injury, disability and wrongful death cases, check out our blog.