Traffic speed and roadway conditions have changed since you chose your following gap. What should govern whether that gap is still adequate?
Correct answer: Whether it is reasonable for the speed, traffic and road conditions now present.
The law ties a prudent following distance to vehicle speed, traffic and highway condition. It does not establish one universal fixed gap for every situation.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-15-12 — Interval between vehicles; reasonable-and-prudent following rule; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
Your light is green, but stopped traffic leaves no room beyond the intersection for your whole car. You intend to go straight. What should you do?
Correct answer: Wait before entering until there is room beyond the intersection.
Even a green signal does not permit entry without enough space beyond the intersection to receive your vehicle without blocking it.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-15-12.1 — Entering intersections; subsection (a), space beyond intersection; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
You missed a turn on a divided highway. There is an unpaved median but no opening, crossover or intersection at this spot. May you drive across the median to reverse direction?
Correct answer: No; use a permitted opening or route instead of crossing the dividing space.
The statute restricts crossing or traveling in the space dividing the roadways, apart from its specified openings, crossovers or intersections. An open stretch of unpaved median is not itself an authorized crossing.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-15-13 — Divided highways; roadway and dividing-space restrictions; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
A side property connects physically to the edge of a limited-access roadway, but it is not a public-authority-established entrance or exit. May you use it to leave the roadway?
Correct answer: No; enter and leave only at established entrances and exits.
Limited-access roadways may be entered or left only at entrances and exits established by public authority. Physical access alone does not make a route an authorized exit.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-15-14 — Entry or leaving of limited-access roadways; operative paragraph; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
Traffic is backed up and the emergency breakdown lane is empty. May you drive along that lane to get ahead of the queue?
Correct answer: No; it is not a travel lane for bypassing congestion.
Rhode Island prohibits using the emergency breakdown lane for travel. Congestion does not make it an extra through lane.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-15-16 — Use of emergency break-down lane for travel; operative prohibition; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
Your intended left turn is 500 feet ahead, and a designated two-way left-turn lane is open beside you. What should you do?
Correct answer: Remain in the travel lane until you can enter for the turn without driving more than 200 feet in the turn lane.
The shared lane is for the listed turning purposes, not passing or extended travel. Section 31-15-19(2) limits driving in it while preparing for and making the turn or preparing to merge to 200 feet.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-15-19 — Two-way left turn lanes; subsection (2); official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
An oncoming car has already entered the shared two-way left-turn lane. Your entry would block its intended turn. What should you do?
Correct answer: Wait rather than enter and block the car that was there first.
A later entrant must not block the intended turn of an opposing vehicle already in the lane. When opposite-direction vehicles enter, the first entrant has right-of-way.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-15-19 — Two-way left turn lanes; subsections (5)–(6); official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
At an ordinary intersection with no signs or signals and no through-highway priority, another car from a crossing road is already in the intersection. What should you do as you approach?
Correct answer: Yield to the car already in the intersection.
The ordinary uncontrolled-intersection rule requires an approaching driver to yield to a vehicle that has already entered from a different road. Simultaneous-arrival rules do not reverse that priority.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-1 — Right-of-way in absence of signs or signals; subsections (a) and (c); official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
You and a car on your right reach an ordinary uncontrolled intersection at approximately the same time. Neither road has through-highway priority. Who should yield?
Correct answer: You should yield to the car on your right.
For vehicles entering from different roads at approximately the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right, subject to special rules such as through-highway priority.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-1 — Right-of-way in absence of signs or signals; subsections (b) and (c); official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
You are waiting to turn left across opposing traffic. An oncoming car is close enough that your turn would create an immediate hazard. What should you do?
Correct answer: Yield and wait for the hazard to clear before making the turn.
A turning driver must yield to an opposing vehicle in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard. A turn signal or earlier arrival does not remove that duty.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-2 — Vehicle turning left or right; subsection (a), oncoming immediate hazard; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
Your right turn will cross a crosswalk where a pedestrian is clearly preparing to cross. What should you do?
Correct answer: Yield to the pedestrian before completing the turn.
Section 31-17-2(a) requires turning drivers to yield to a pedestrian intending to cross in a crosswalk that the turn will pass through. It is not limited to a pedestrian already in the middle of the road.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-2 — Vehicle turning left or right; subsection (a), pedestrian intending to cross; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
You approach a stop sign with no marked stop line, but there is a crosswalk on the near side. No officer or traffic signal directs you to proceed. Where should you first stop?
Correct answer: Before entering the near-side crosswalk.
The statute places the stop at a marked line, or if there is none, before the near-side crosswalk. The further fallback for viewing cross traffic applies when neither exists.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-4 — Vehicle entering stop or yield intersection; subsection (b), stop-position hierarchy; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
You have fully stopped at a stop sign. A car on the crossing road is now so close that entering would force it to brake sharply. What should you do?
Correct answer: Keep yielding until you can enter without creating that immediate hazard.
Stopping fulfills only the initial duty. After stopping, you must still yield to traffic already in the intersection or close enough to create an immediate hazard during your entry.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-4 — Vehicle entering stop or yield intersection; subsection (b), duty after stopping; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
You approach a yield sign and crossing traffic makes it unsafe to enter without stopping. What should you do?
Correct answer: Slow for the conditions and stop when necessary to yield safely.
A yield sign requires a reasonable approach speed and a stop when safety requires it. After slowing or stopping, you must yield to pedestrians and vehicles described in the statute.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-4 — Vehicle entering stop or yield intersection; subsection (c); official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
You are leaving a private driveway. A pedestrian is crossing its mouth and a car is approaching on the road you will enter. What should you do?
Correct answer: Yield to both before entering when clear.
A driver entering or crossing a highway from a private road or driveway must yield to approaching vehicles and pedestrians attempting to cross the driveway or highway.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-5 — Entering from private road or driveway; operative yielding rule; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
You are about to enter a rotary with no sign or traffic-control device changing the priority. A vehicle is already circulating inside. What should you do?
Correct answer: Yield to the vehicle already in the rotary.
Without a traffic-control device or sign, entering traffic yields to vehicles already in the rotary, regardless of the direction from which the entering vehicle approaches.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-8 — Right-of-way at rotary; subsection (a), absence of traffic control device or sign; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
An authorized emergency vehicle immediately approaches using its emergency lights and siren. No officer gives different directions. Where should you yield?
Correct answer: Move as close as possible to the right edge, clear of an intersection, and stop until it passes.
With the specified emergency lights and audible warning, other drivers must yield, move parallel and close to the right edge clear of an intersection, and remain stopped until the vehicle passes unless an officer directs otherwise.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-6 — Yielding to emergency vehicle; subsection (a), lights plus audible signal and officer exception; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
You plan to turn across a bicycle lane. A person on a bicycle is continuing along that lane toward your turning path. What should you do?
Correct answer: Yield to the rider before crossing the bicycle lane.
A driver crossing or turning across a bicycle lane must yield to a bicycle or motorized-wheelchair user in that lane. A turn signal does not transfer that right-of-way.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-9 — Yielding to riders on bicycle lane; subsection (a); official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
Traffic is slow, and you want to drive straight ahead along a bicycle lane to reach the next intersection sooner. You are not turning or entering or leaving the roadway or parking lane. Is that allowed?
Correct answer: No; ordinary queue-bypassing travel is not one of the permitted uses.
The motor-vehicle exceptions concern turns, entering or leaving the roadway or parking lane, and official-duty use. They do not permit an ordinary driver to use a bicycle lane as a through-traffic shortcut.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-15-17 — Crossing bicycle lane; subsection (a), allowed uses and exceptions; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
Registered fire apparatus is pulling out of a fire station across your path. What should you do?
Correct answer: Give it right-of-way rather than obstruct its exit.
The section expressly grants registered fire apparatus right-of-way when entering or exiting a fire station or other department facility. Do not obstruct that movement.
Source: R.I. General Laws § 31-17-7 — Right-of-way of fire companies; first paragraph, entering or exiting facilities; official legislature HTML text read October 1, 2026. ↗
