(a)  Every bus having a seat capacity of more than seven (7) passengers, every truck with a gross weight of more than seven thousand pounds (7,000 lbs.), and every tractor or trailer, or combination, operated upon the public highways shall be equipped with one pair of approved wheel safety chock blocks. Whenever the motor vehicle shall be parked on a highway on a grade sufficient to cause the vehicle to move of its own momentum, and is left unattended by the operator, the safety chock blocks shall be securely placed around the rear wheel of the vehicle so as to prevent movement of the vehicle.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 31-23-43

  • Motor vehicle: means any vehicle driven or drawn by mechanical power for use on the public streets, roads, and highways;

    (2)  "Odometer" means an instrument for measuring and recording the actual distance a motor vehicle travels while in operation;

    (3)  "Person" means any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or business trust including, but not limited to, private individuals and motor vehicle dealers, both wholesale and retail, whether the private individual or dealer is a dealer in the ordinary course of business or not;

    (4)  "Repair and replacement" means to restore to a sound working condition by replacing the instrument or any part thereof or by correcting what is inoperative;

    (5)  "Transfer" means to acquire ownership by purchase, gift, bequest, or any other means. See Rhode Island General Laws 31-23.2-2

(b)  Whenever the motor vehicle is equipped with positive spring-loaded air parking brakes, the vehicle need not be equipped with the safety wheel chocks.

(c)  Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.

History of Section.
P.L. 1966, ch. 74, § 1; P.L. 1979, ch. 112, § 1; P.L. 1984, ch. 295, § 2; P.L. 2002, ch. 292, § 120.