Rhode Island Driver's Manual: study guide

Key rules by chapter

A few of the rules from each chapter that come up in our practice questions:

1. Applying for a Rhode Island Driver's License

• Under-18 applicants need to complete a 33-hour accredited classroom course before they can get a learner permit.
• The computerized knowledge exam consists of forty multiple choice questions.
• The computerized knowledge exam has a 90-minute maximum.

2. The Effects of Distractions, Drowsiness, and Emotions on Driving

• NHTSA figures quoted in the manual put inattention behind roughly 60% of crashes.
• Taking your eyes off your path for two seconds or more makes a crash twice as likely.
• One teen passenger doubles the likelihood of a fatal crash; two or more increase the risk by 300 percent.

3. Basic Driving Skills and Safety Rules

• The seat belt law is a primary law for all ages; you can be pulled over if anyone is unbuckled.
• The fine for violating the seat belt section is $40.00 per occupant.
• Such children must ride in a rear seating position in an approved child restraint system.

4. Signals and Roadway Markings

• Signal at least 100 feet before a turn, and also signal when pulling out of a parking space.
• Motorists shall not enter the shared turn lane unless they intend to turn within 100 feet.
• Right on red is an option, not an obligation; you may wait for the green.

5. Driving Emergencies

• A glancing sideswipe does far less damage than hitting a solid object head-on.
• Release your brakes just before the collision to soften the impact, then brake immediately after.
• Get everyone out and run far from the tracks, parallel, in the opposite direction from which the train is moving, away from debris.

6. Motorcycles

• Allow more following distance behind motorcycles, four seconds.
• Operators under 21 must always wear a helmet, and new operators of any age for the first year; passengers must also wear helmets.
• Rhode Island law requires all operators to properly wear eye protection.

7. Systems for Safe, Courteous, and Defensive Driving

• The zone system consists of six zones around your vehicle.
• Search the area you will reach in 12-15 seconds, and check the nearer 4-6 second range for changes.
• Get the overall picture: look a full block ahead in cities and half a mile ahead on highways.

8. Sharing the Road Safely

• The manual cites NHTSA: large trucks are four times as likely to be involved in a collision.
• A truck towing a trailer cannot see more than 50 feet of road directly behind it.
• Stay at least 50 feet back; you are far enough when you can see the truck's side-view mirrors.

9. Laws You Must Know (incl. fine schedule)

• On request you must show your license, registration and proof of insurance, and you can be asked to sign your name in front of the officer so they can confirm who you are.
• Proof of insurance must be carried with the registration; the fine for failure to comply is $500.
• Littering on public or private roadways or property carries an $85 to $1,000 fine.

10. Drinking / Drugs and Driving

• Even small amounts of alcohol make a crash seven times more likely.
• The body eliminates alcohol by breathing, perspiring and oxidation (the liver).
• Mixing alcohol with other drugs multiplies their effects (a synergistic effect), which can be deadly.

11. In Case of a Collision

• A police report is required for injuries, property damage over $1,000, hitting an unattended vehicle, or hitting a domesticated animal.
• Leaving the scene of a crash that injures or kills someone (R.I.G.L. 31-26-1) is a felony.
• In a minor collision, drive the vehicle to the side of the road if possible and notify police.

12. When Stopped by a Law Enforcement Officer

• By signing, you are not admitting the violation, only acknowledging you received it.
• Do not take your safety belt off until directed by the officer.
• Electronic proof of insurance is allowed.

13. Equipment You Must Inspect

• You may not drive on a tire with less than 2/32 of an inch of tread.
• Wearing both lap and shoulder belts cuts the risk of death or serious injury nearly in half.

15. Passing Your Driver Skills Test

• Rental cars cannot be used for the skills test.
• There must be two plates on the vehicle.

17. Appendices (misc. laws, work zones, documents, signs pp. 85-86)

• Fines are doubled for speeding tickets issued in designated work zones twenty-four hours a day.
• Rhode Island follows the federal standard of total visible light transmittance of not less than 70%.
• Work zone signs use high-visibility colors (fluorescent yellow-green, orange or pink) and come before, inside and after the work area.

How to study the handbook

Read one chapter, then take a practice test. Every answer explanation names the handbook section it comes from, so when you get one wrong, go back to that section. Pay most attention to exact numbers and to the rules specific to Rhode Island, which are where most people lose points.