Title 31
Motor and Other Vehicles

Chapter 23
Equipment and Accessories Generally

R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23-16

§ 31-23-16. Windshield and window stickers — Obstructions to clear view — Snow and ice on vehicle.

(a) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material, or dirt, snow, or ice upon the front windshield, side wings, or side or rear windows of the vehicle which obstructs the driver’s clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway; provided, that the administrator of the division of motor vehicles may permit the placing of special stickers upon the windshield or any of the windows of a motor vehicle in the manner specified by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles.

(b) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any significant amounts of snow or ice upon the vehicle. The term “significant” is construed as any amount of accumulation which might reasonably be expected, when blowing off the vehicle while driving, to obscure the vision of an operator of another vehicle. However, the natural accumulation of snow while driving during adverse weather conditions shall not constitute a violation of this section. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.

History of Section.
P.L. 1950, ch. 2595, art. 34, § 35; P.L. 1952, ch. 2937, § 14; G.L. 1956, § 31-23-16; P.L. 1983, ch. 255, § 1; P.L. 1984, ch. 415, § 1; P.L. 2002, ch. 292, § 120.