Rhode Island driving lesson · Vehicle Equipment & Signs
Window Tint, Height, Noise & Lighting Laws
A 2-minute lesson from the Rhode Island course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
A few equipment laws in the handbook's appendix limit how you can modify your car: how dark your windows can be, how much you can raise or lower it, and how loud it can be.
Know the rule
R.I.G.L. 31-23.3-2: no tint or film on the windshield, the side windows beside and behind the driver and front passenger, or the rear windows unless the vehicle meets an exception in 31-23.3-3.
R.I.G.L. 31-23-13.1: vehicles rated up to and including 10,000 lbs may not be raised or lowered more than 4 inches from the manufacturer's height (shackle lift kits, coil-spring lifts, tires or other means).
Headlamps (except on motorcycles and motor-driven cycles) must let the driver select between light beams aimed at different elevations—high and low beams.
The DMV Administrator approves lighting devices and sets standards for their installation and aiming, conforming as far as possible to Society of Automotive Engineers standards.
A friend wants to lift his pickup (rated 7,000 lbs) by 6 inches. That's more than the 4-inch limit for vehicles up to 10,000 lbs, so it would be illegal.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What is the minimum total visible light transmittance Rhode Island requires for window tint?
50 percent
35 percent
20 percent
70 percent
Answer: 70 percent
Rhode Island follows the federal standard requiring a total visible light transmittance of not less than 70 percent.