Although we all took driver’s ed, sometimes it is hard to remember all the rules of the road, but remembering them will make your drive easier. Understanding Rhode Island traffic laws and the rules of the road can help decrease stress while driving and make the roads safer for everyone.
When a vehicle is merging onto a roadway? The merging vehicle must blend into the traffic on the roadway and yield the right-of-way. Vehicles entering the roadway should try to decelerate as little as possible in order to keep traffic flowing and not startle the person behind them. State law requires merging vehicles to put their blinkers on about 100 feet before the merge point.
At three-way or four-way stop sign intersection? Vehicles proceed in the order in which they arrived at the stop sign. If two vehicles arrive at the same time, the vehicle on the left yields to the vehicle on the right.
Approaching a yield sign? Yield signs on any road mean that the vehicle that is merging into already existing traffic must give way to the cars already in the travel lanes. There is no need to stop at a yield sign if no traffic is approaching.
In roundabouts? Vehicles already in the roundabout ALWAYS have the right of way. Vehicles entering a roundabout can wait at the yield sign and then merge in gently when there is an opening. (See roundabouts later on this page for full instructions for complicated roundabouts like the Apponaug roundabout.)
Increased traffic and high speeds can turn merging into a challenging task.
Here are some helpful tips to make merging easier.
When a lane is closed in a construction zone, a zipper merge occurs when motorists use both lanes of traffic until reaching the defined merge area, and then alternate in a “zipper" fashion into the open lane. While it may be counter intuitive, zipper merging increases the flow of traffic, decreases congestion on freeway interchanges, and reduces speeds between lanes, making late merging safer than the early merge alternative.
Roundabouts can challenge even the best drivers. According to law, In the absence of any traffic control device or sign, the driver of a vehicle about to enter a roundabout, regardless of the direction from which the vehicle is approaching, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles already in the roundabout.
Try to remain calm.
Stop your vehicle immediately. In a minor collision, if appropriate, drive your vehicle to a safe place along the roadway and notify the police.
Remain at the scene of the collision and make your identity known to any interested person. Severe penalties are imposed against drivers who choose to leave the scene of a collision (‘hit and run’) without properly identifying themselves.
A police report is required if someone is injured in the collision, if property damage excedes $1,000, if a person hits an unattended vehicle, or if a person hits a domesticated animal.
Traffic engineers and police officers examine many traffic and road conditions to determine a reasonable speed limit. These include number and type of crashes, speed of vehicles and number of cars, pedestrians, and bicycles.
The summer months also usher in the demand for recreational and occupational activities that require the towing of vehicles and equipment. Here are several tips to ensure safe towing and trailering practices help keep our roads free of debris and dangers.