Rhode Island Traffic Signals practice test

Practice lights, arrows and pedestrian signals: 22 questions based on the Rhode Island Driver's Manual, 12 of them on Rhode Island's own rules.

Key Rhode Island facts: Traffic Signals

  • Unless a sign prohibits it, a driver may turn right on a steady red after a full stop, yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians; turning is permitted but not required. Laws You Must Know, PDF p. 58
  • A flashing red signal is treated as a stop sign: stop before the crosswalk or limit line, then proceed under the rules for a stop sign. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-9(1)
  • A flashing yellow signal means drivers may proceed through only with caution. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-9(2)
  • A steady yellow warns that the green movement is ending and a red signal will follow immediately. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-6(2)(i)
  • A flashing yellow arrow lets drivers turn in the arrow's direction only after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Traffic Lights/Signals, PDF p. 41

Sample Traffic Signals questions

What must you do at a flashing yellow arrow for a left turn?

  • Turn after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians
  • Stop and wait for a green arrow before turning
  • Turn without yielding because the arrow protects you
  • Go straight only; turning is not allowed
Show the answer

Turn after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians

Oncoming traffic has a steady green light.

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

A police officer directs traffic through a red light. What should you follow?

  • Whichever lane is shortest
  • The traffic signal
  • The car ahead of you
  • The officer's directions
Show the answer

The officer's directions

Officers' lawful orders override the signal.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-4, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-4

How should you treat a flashing red traffic signal?

  • As a stop sign
  • As a signal to slow down only
  • As a yield sign
  • As a signal that the light is broken and may be ignored
Show the answer

As a stop sign

Come to a full stop before the crosswalk or stop line.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-9, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-9(1)

The light is green but traffic ahead is backed up past the intersection. What must you do?

  • Honk to get the traffic ahead moving
  • Enter and stop in the middle of the intersection
  • Wait until there is room beyond the intersection
  • Enter, since the light is green
Show the answer

Wait until there is room beyond the intersection

The law bars entering an intersection that you cannot clear.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-15-12.1, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-15-12.1(a)

When may a Rhode Island driver turn right on a steady red light?

  • Without stopping, if no traffic is seen
  • Never, unless a police officer allows it
  • After a full stop, unless a sign prohibits it
  • Only between midnight and 5 a.m.
Show the answer

After a full stop, unless a sign prohibits it

The driver must first yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual (April 2024), Laws You Must Know, PDF p. 58

What does a steady red arrow mean?

  • Get ready for a green arrow and go
  • Slow down and turn when the road is clear
  • Yield, then go in the arrow's direction
  • Stop; do not go in the arrow's direction
Show the answer

Stop; do not go in the arrow's direction

A green arrow, steady green or flashing yellow arrow may follow when it goes out.

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

What does a steady yellow light warn you about?

  • Cross traffic must yield to you
  • A steady red signal will appear next
  • The signal has failed
  • You must stop in the intersection
Show the answer

A steady red signal will appear next

Drivers should not enter the intersection once the red follows.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-6, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-13-6(2)(i)

You stop for a railroad crossing signal. How far from the nearest rail must you stop?

  • Right at the tracks
  • At least 100 feet
  • Between 15 and 50 feet
  • Between 5 and 10 feet
Show the answer

Between 15 and 50 feet

A driver may not go through, around or under a lowered gate.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-1, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-1

Where must you stop at a stop sign with no crosswalk or stop line?

  • At the center of the intersection to see better
  • At the point nearest the cross road with a clear view
  • At the spot where you first see the stop sign
  • Anywhere within 50 feet before the intersection
Show the answer

At the point nearest the cross road with a clear view

Where a crosswalk is marked, the stop comes before it.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-9, R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-20-9

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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.