Rhode Island Right-of-Way practice test

Practice who goes first at intersections, crosswalks and roundabouts: 28 questions based on the Rhode Island Driver's Manual, 15 of them on Rhode Island's own rules.

Key Rhode Island facts: Right-of-Way

  • If two vehicles arrive at an intersection from different roads at roughly the same time, the vehicle on the left must give way to the one on its right. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-1(b)
  • An intersection without signs or signals should be treated as if a yield sign were present. Traffic Lights/Signals, PDF p. 41
  • At a four-way stop, yield to all vehicles that stopped before you; if two arrive at the same time, yield to the vehicle on your right. Four-Way Stops, PDF p. 32
  • A driver about to enter a rotary must yield to all vehicles already in the rotary. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-8(a)
  • A driver entering a highway from a private road or driveway must yield to approaching vehicles and to pedestrians. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-5

Sample Right-of-Way questions

How close may a driver follow a school bus in the same lane?

  • Not closer than 100 feet
  • Not closer than 25 feet
  • Not closer than 10 feet
  • Not closer than 50 feet
Show the answer

Not closer than 50 feet

Emergency vehicles on official business are the exception.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-12, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-12(a)

A school bus ahead has flashing red lights on a two-lane road. What must you do?

  • Stop only if you can see children nearby
  • Stop only if you are traveling behind the bus
  • Slow to 10 mph and pass the bus with care
  • Stop until the lights stop or the bus moves
Show the answer

Stop until the lights stop or the bus moves

Drivers from either direction must stop.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-12, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-12(a)

How should you treat an uncontrolled intersection with no signs or signals?

  • As if it were a flashing red light
  • As if a stop sign were present
  • As if you have the right of way
  • As if a yield sign were present
Show the answer

As if a yield sign were present

Slow down and be ready to stop before entering.

Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual (April 2024), Traffic Lights/Signals, PDF p. 41

Two cars reach an intersection without signs or signals at about the same time. Who yields?

  • The car on the left gives way to the car on its right
  • The driver turning right yields
  • The car on the right gives way to the car on its left
  • The faster driver goes first
Show the answer

The car on the left gives way to the car on its right

The rule applies in the absence of signs or signals.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-1, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-1(b)

You are leaving a driveway onto a public road. Whom must you yield to?

  • Approaching vehicles and pedestrians
  • Only vehicles coming from the right
  • No one if the road is empty of police
  • Only pedestrians
Show the answer

Approaching vehicles and pedestrians

A driver entering from a driveway has no right of way over traffic on the road.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-5, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-5

An emergency vehicle with lights and siren approaches from behind. What must you do?

  • Stop in the middle of the intersection ahead
  • Pull right, clear of any intersection, and stop
  • Pull to the left edge of the roadway and stop
  • Speed up to clear the road ahead of the vehicle
Show the answer

Pull right, clear of any intersection, and stop

Stay stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed unless an officer directs otherwise.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-6, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-17-6(a)

A pedestrian with a white cane is crossing ahead. What must you do?

  • Proceed if you are turning right on red
  • Honk to warn them and keep going
  • Slow down and pass behind the pedestrian
  • Come to a full stop before the crossing
Show the answer

Come to a full stop before the crossing

The pedestrian's cane or guide dog signals that extra care is needed.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-14, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-14

A car ahead is stopped at a crosswalk. What must you not do?

  • Stay in your lane
  • Slow down behind it
  • Wait behind it
  • Pass the stopped car
Show the answer

Pass the stopped car

The stopped driver may be yielding to a pedestrian you cannot see.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-4, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-4(a)

On which road may you continue past a school bus with flashing red lights?

  • A parking lot next to a school
  • The far side of a divided highway
  • A two-lane road with no median
  • A private road with no signs
Show the answer

The far side of a divided highway

A divided highway has a barrier, grass, guardrail or similar between the opposite lanes.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-13, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-13

Two cars reach a four-way stop at the same moment. Who yields?

  • The driver on the left yields
  • The driver on the right yields
  • The driver with the larger vehicle goes first
  • Both drivers go at the same time
Show the answer

The driver on the left yields

The manual says to yield to the vehicle on your right.

Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual (April 2024), Four-Way Stops, PDF p. 32

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About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the Rhode Island Driver's Manual (Rhode Island Driver's Manual, April 2024 edition (cover date; 87 PDF pages; PDF pages equal the printed page numbers), the manual linked from the Division of Motor Vehicles' Operator Manuals page and read 2026-11-10 at dmv.ri.gov/media/966/download. dmv.ri.gov pages and that file are behind a Cloudflare check that blocks curl (HTTP 403), so the pages and the PDF were read in the built-in browser and the PDF text was extracted there and saved to sources/RI/handbook.txt (the 2024 PDF itself could not be saved with curl). An older manual dated rev. 08/2015 (Driver_Manual_FINAL.pdf) is still on dmv.ri.gov and was saved as sources/RI/handbook_2015.pdf only to compare editions. The manual says on PDF p. 6 that it is a guideline and not a legal document, so every legal rule used in questions was checked against R.I. Gen. Laws Title 31 on webserver.rilegislature.gov (sections read 2026-11-10, including laws amended in 2025). Out-of-date or inconsistent manual statements and how they were handled: (1) DUI and chemical test refusal (PDF pp. 61-63) count repeat offenses within 5 years, but R.I. Gen. Laws 31-27-2 and 31-27-2.1 count them within 10 years; questions use the statute. (2) Phones (PDF pp. 36-37) describe only the ban for drivers under 18 and texting; since July 2, 2025 (2025 P.L. ch. 401 and 402) 31-22-30 bars using a handset for any purpose while driving except hands-free, and 31-22-31 bars hand-held calls ($100 fine); questions use the statutes. (3) Full license age: PDF p. 14 says at least 17 years 6 months, 31-10-6(b)(3) says at least 17 and under 18; no question asks the age. (4) Fines: PDF pp. 27 and 59 give $85 for a child restraint violation and PDF p. 58 gives $500 for no proof of insurance, while the schedule in 31-41.1-4 shows $100 for a child restraint violation and 31-47-9 sets $100 to $500 for a first insurance offense; school bus penalty PDF p. 54 says $250 to $500 while 31-20-12 says up to $300 for a first offense ($250 to $500 applies to camera cases under 31-51-2.2); no question asks these fines except the insurance penalty, which follows 31-47-9. (5) Shared (two-way) left turn lane (PDF p. 38): the manual says no entry unless turning within 100 feet, but 31-15-19(2) allows driving in the lane up to 200 feet; the question uses 200. (6) Bicycle passing: PDF p. 55 advises 3 to 5 feet of clearance, while 31-15-18 defines a safe distance as enough to prevent contact if the cyclist falls, with no fixed number; the question uses the statute and bicycle_pass_ft is left open. (7) Permit validity: PDF p. 12 says the permit lasts until age 18 and can be renewed twice, the DMV New License Permits page says a permit may be renewed one time, and 31-10-6(b)(1) says valid one year; no question asks it. (8) The manual cites the car door law as 31-21-1 (PDF p. 56) but it is 31-21-14; the question cites 31-21-14. (9) Adult learners: the manual does not state the 30-day wait before an adult permit holder's road test; the DMV New License Permits page does, and the question cites that page. (10) Right-turn-on-red, the stop-sign three-second pause (PDF p. 32) and lane-position advice are manual guidance; only the first is also in statute (31-13-6(3)(i)(A)). (11) The older 2015 manual's license renewal ages (2-year license from age 68) and texting fines ($85 to $125) are superseded and not used. edition) and from official sources on road signs. Every answer links to its source, so you can check it and read more.

DMV Decoded is an independent guide, not a government agency. This practice test is not connected to the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.