An adult rides in the rear of a 2020 sedan on a Rhode Island road. No exemption applies. What must the driver ensure?
Correct answer: The adult is properly belted.
The driver must ensure that adult passengers are properly belted in rear seats as well as front seats.
Source: R.I. General Laws section 31-22-22(f)(1)–(2) and (i); complete official section and exceptions read October 8, 2026. Displayed history ends with 2017 chapters 16 and 30. ↗
In Rhode Island, a 5-year-old is 48 inches tall and weighs 55 pounds. A rear seat is available in the car. How must the child ride?
Correct answer: In a suitable approved child restraint in back.
This child is below all three age, height and weight thresholds, so an approved child restraint in a rear seating position is required.
Source: R.I. General Laws section 31-22-22(a)(1), including rear-seat exceptions; complete official section read October 8, 2026. Displayed history ends with 2017 chapters 16 and 30. ↗
On a personal trip in Rhode Island, a 30-year-old holds a phone to an ear and talks with a friend while the car is moving. Is this permitted?
Correct answer: No; a routine handheld call is prohibited while moving.
The ordinary handheld-call restriction applies while the car is moving. This private, nonemergency conversation does not meet an exception.
Source: R.I. General Laws section 31-22-31(a)(1), (8), (b)(1), (4); complete official section and exceptions read October 8, 2026. Displayed history includes 2025 chapters 401/402, effective July 2, 2025. ↗
A 17-year-old drives in Rhode Island while having a routine hands-free phone conversation. There is no emergency. Is the call permitted?
Correct answer: No; the under-18 wireless-device restriction still applies.
For drivers under 18, the wireless-device restriction is not limited to handheld calls. The exception is for an emergency, not an ordinary hands-free conversation.
Source: R.I. General Laws section 31-22-11.9(a); complete official section read October 8, 2026. Displayed history ends with 2014 chapters 256 and 313. ↗
An adult driver in Rhode Island is stopped at a red light and wants to type a routine text to a friend. No statutory exception applies. What should the driver do?
Correct answer: Pull out of traffic and stop where it is safe and legal before typing.
A temporary traffic-light stop still counts as driving. Wait until the car is lawfully stopped in a safe place outside traffic before manually composing the message.
Source: R.I. General Laws section 31-22-30(a)(1), (b), especially (b)(3) and (5); complete official section read October 8, 2026. Displayed history includes 2025 chapters 401/402, effective July 2, 2025. Manual text composition, not single-tap activation, is tested. ↗
