(a) Primary legislative purpose.  The primary legislative purpose of this chapter is to prevent intoxication-related injuries, deaths and other damages among Rhode Island’s population.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 3-14-2

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Intoxication: means a substantial impairment of a person's mental or physical faculties as a result of drug or alcoholic beverage use so as to diminish that person's ability to think and act in a manner in which an ordinary prudent and cautious person, in full possession of his or her faculties and using reasonable care, would act under like circumstances. See Rhode Island General Laws 3-14-3
  • Liquor: means any intoxicating beverage which contains more than three and two tenths percent (3. See Rhode Island General Laws 3-14-3

(b) Secondary purposes.  The secondary legislative purposes are:

(1)  To establish a legal basis for obtaining compensation for those suffering damages as a result of intoxication related incidents in accordance with this chapter;

(2)  To allocate the liability for payment of damages fairly among those responsible for the damages, which will encourage liquor liability insurance availability; and

(3)  To encourage all servers of alcohol to exercise responsible serving practices.

History of Section.
P.L. 1986, ch. 537, § 2.