Rhode Island Road Signs Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

The Numbers to Remember

• Minimum permit age: 16; must hold the permit at least 6 months before the road test.
• Under-18 drivers need 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night.
• Fail the exam? Wait at least 8 days before retesting.
• Permit fee: $13.50 under 18, $8.50 at 18+; duplicate permit $13.50; motorcycle permit $28.50.
• Permits renew for 2 additional one-year periods before the knowledge exam must be retaken.
• The exam is computerized, based on motor vehicle laws and rules of the road, offered in English, Spanish, and Portuguese; RI DMV does not publish a fixed question count or passing score, so treat every question in practice as real.
• Testing is by reservation only, during normal business hours — book ahead.
• Rhode Island uses a three-level graduated licensing system for under-18 drivers: instructional permit, provisional license, full license.

Sign Shapes at a Glance

• Octagon = stop, always.
• Downward triangle = yield.
• Pentagon = school zone ahead.
• Diamond = warning of a specific hazard ahead.
• Round = railroad crossing.
• Red = stop/prohibition. Yellow = general warning. Orange = construction/work zone. Green = guide/directional. White = regulatory rule (speed, turns). Blue = services.

Right-of-Way in One Breath

• No signs? First to arrive goes first; ties yield to the vehicle on the right.
• Left turns yield to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
• Pedestrians in a crosswalk always have the right-of-way.
• Emergency vehicles with lights/siren active always get the right-of-way — pull right and stop.
• Entering a roundabout? Yield to traffic already circulating.
• Merging traffic yields to traffic already in the lane.

Top Traps

• Thinking the speed limit is a target rather than a maximum — slow further in rain, fog, snow, or heavy traffic.
• Forgetting the 3-to-4-second following-distance rule, and forgetting to double it in poor conditions or behind large vehicles/motorcycles.
• Assuming a marked crosswalk is required for pedestrian right-of-way — it isn't.
• Braking hard during a hydroplane instead of easing off the accelerator.
• Underestimating black ice risk on bridges and shaded roads near freezing.
• Treating "a little" alcohol, drowsiness, or a quick glance at a phone as safe — all three impair reaction time the exam expects you to flag as risky.
• Not giving motorcycles and bicycles a full lane width when passing or turning.