(a)  The division of motor vehicles shall not issue any license under this chapter:

(1)  To any person, as an operator, who is under the age of sixteen (16) years;

(2)  To any person, as a chauffeur, who is under the age of eighteen (18) years;

(3)  To any person, as an operator or chauffeur, whose license has been suspended, during that suspension, nor to any person whose license has been revoked, except as provided in § 31-11-10;

(4)  To any person, as an operator or chauffeur, who is a habitual drunkard or habitual user of drugs to such an extent that he or she is incapable of safely driving a motor vehicle;

(5)  To any person, as an operator or chauffeur, who is required by this chapter to take an examination unless that person shall have successfully passed that examination;

(6)  To any person who is required under the laws of this state to deposit proof of financial responsibility and who has not deposited that proof;

(7)  To any person when the administrator of the division of motor vehicles has good cause based on clear and convincing evidence to believe that that person does not meet a standard of physical or mental fitness for motor vehicle licensure established pursuant to § 31-10-44(b) and that the person’s physical or mental condition prevents him or her from being able to operate a motor vehicle with safety upon the highway;

(8)  To any person when the administrator of the division of motor vehicles has good cause to believe that the operation of a motor vehicle on the highways by that person would pose an imminent safety risk to the general public as determined by objectively ascertainable standards;

(9)  To any person who is subject to an order issued pursuant to § 14-1-67.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 31-10-3

  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
  • 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

  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  The division of motor vehicles shall notify in writing any person whose application for a license has been denied pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. The notice shall contain the factual and legal basis for the denial, the procedure for requesting a hearing, and the rights afforded the individual pursuant to the provisions of § 31-11-7(d) — (f). When physical or mental fitness is the basis for the denial, the notice shall reference the specific functional standard promulgated pursuant to § 31-10-44(b), which was relied upon by the division of motor vehicles. Upon his or her request the division of motor vehicles shall afford the license applicant an opportunity for a hearing as early as practical and no later than twenty (20) days after receipt of the request.

(c)  The hearing procedures afforded the applicant shall conform to the provisions of § 31-11-7(d) — (f).

History of Section.
P.L. 1950, ch. 2595, art. 15, § 3; P.L. 1952, ch. 2937, § 8; G.L. 1956, § 31-10-3; P.L. 1959 (s.s.), ch. 190, § 2; P.L. 1962, ch. 204, § 1; P.L. 1984, ch. 196, § 2; P.L. 1998, ch. 89, § 1.