(a)  The driver of any motor vehicle carrying passengers for hire, or of any school bus carrying any school child, or of any vehicle carrying explosive substances or flammable liquids as a cargo or part of a cargo, before crossing at grade any track or tracks of a railroad, shall stop the vehicle within fifty feet (50?) but not less than fifteen feet (15?) from the nearest rail of such railroad, and while so stopped, shall listen and look in both directions along the track for any approaching train, and for signals indicating the approach of a train, except as provided in this chapter, and shall not proceed until he or she can do so safely. After stopping as required in this section and upon proceeding when it is safe to do so, the driver of the vehicle shall cross only in a gear of the vehicle that there will be no necessity for changing gears while traversing the crossing, and the driver shall not shift gears while crossing the track or tracks.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 31-20-4

  • 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)  No stop need be made at any crossing where a police officer or a traffic control signal directs traffic to proceed.

(c)  This section shall not apply at railroad grade crossings within a business or residence district.

History of Section.
P.L. 1950, ch. 2595, art. 31, § 3; G.L. 1956, § 31-20-4.