Driving Tests

Rhode Island Hands-Free Law: What Changed in 2025 and the Fines

informational·how to guide·Published April 12, 2026

Can I hold my phone at a red light in Rhode Island, and what is the fine?

No. Since July 2, 2025, Rhode Island law bans using a phone to text "or for any other purpose" while you drive, including a stop at a red light or stop sign. Hands-free use, one swipe or tap, and a GPS app on a mounted phone are allowed. Fines are $100 (U.S. dollars) for a first conviction, $150 for a second and $250 for a third or later.

Where the Rhode Island hands-free rules come from

The main rule is in R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-30, as changed by Public Law 2025, ch. 401. Drivers under 18 also fall under R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-11.9. The call-to-the-ear rule is in § 31-22-31. The headphone line comes from Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) safety guidance. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (dmv.ri.gov) before you drive.

What changed on July 2, 2025, and the fines now

What changed on July 2, 2025, and the fines now
Topic	Before July 2, 2025	Since July 2, 2025
What § 31-22-30 bans while driving	Composing, reading or sending text messages	Texting, or handset use "for any other purpose"
GPS or navigation app	Excepted, with no mount rule	Excepted only while the phone is mounted or fixed to the vehicle
First conviction	$100 fine, license suspension up to 30 days, or both	$100 fine
Second conviction	$150 fine, license suspension up to 3 months, or both	$150 fine
Third or later conviction	$250 fine, license suspension up to 6 months, or both	$250 fine

A red light or stop sign still counts as driving

Rhode Island law defines driving as operating a vehicle on a public road, and that includes a short stop for traffic, a traffic light or a stop sign. So you may not pick up your phone to read, scroll or reply while you wait for a green light.
The rule stops when you leave the road. A vehicle that has pulled over to the side of the road, or off it, and stopped where it can safely stay is not driving.

Phone use in the car: allowed or not

You hold the phone and read, type or scroll while you drive or wait at a light

Not allowed. The ban covers any handset use while driving.

Your phone sits in a dash mount, you answer with one tap, then talk hands-free

Allowed. The law permits hands-free use, a hands-free accessory, or one swipe or tap of the finger. Try the hands-free phone rule practice question to check yourself.

Your phone runs a navigation app in a mount fixed to the vehicle

Allowed. You may start, view or close the app. A phone in your hand does not get this exception.

You are parked, standing or stopped out of the flow of traffic

Allowed. The same applies when the vehicle is stopped because a mechanical failure, such as a tire failure, makes it unsafe to drive.

You wear headphones or an accessory that covers both ears

Not allowed, according to RIDOT guidance.

You are police, fire, emergency medical or other public safety staff on duty, or you contact one of them

Excepted from the ban.

Tickets, the call-to-the-ear rule and old RIDOT pages

Violations of § 31-22-30 go to the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal. To pay without going to court, return the form and summons with a check or money order within 20 days of the summons date, plus any technology surcharge.
A separate law, § 31-22-31, bans holding a phone to or near your ear for a call while the vehicle moves. Since 2025, the fine is a fixed $100. The 2025 act also deleted an old first-offender waiver, which had ended in 2023.
Some RIDOT pages still describe the 2018 law, with a fine "up to $100" and that waiver. The current law sets the fines in the table.

Drivers under 18 may not use a phone at all

Under § 31-22-11.9, a driver under 18 may not use a phone or other wireless device while driving, except in an emergency. RIDOT confirms that this includes hands-free use, so a 17-year-old with a paired phone may not take a hands-free call.
Fines are $100 for a first conviction and $150 for a second. A third or later conviction brings a $250 fine and/or loss of license until age 18. Try the under 18 hands-free call practice question, and see the other penalties for teen drivers.

Key Takeaways

Since July 2, 2025, Rhode Island bans handset use for any purpose while driving, including at a red light or stop sign.
Allowed: hands-free use, one swipe or tap, and a GPS app on a mounted phone.
Fines under § 31-22-30 are $100, $150 and $250. The 2025 act removed the old license suspension options.
Drivers under 18 may not use a phone at all while driving, hands-free included, except in an emergency.
Next step: check the phone rules on the free Rhode Island operator license practice test, in English only.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Bluetooth hands-free calling in Rhode Island?

Yes, if you are 18 or older. The law counts a phone as hands-free when you use an earpiece, headset, remote microphone or short-range wireless link and need your hands only to activate, deactivate or start a feature. Drivers under 18 may not use a phone at all, except in an emergency.

Can I hold my phone on speaker while driving in Rhode Island?

No. Holding the phone in your hand is not hands-free use, even on speaker, so it is handset use while driving. This also applies at a red light. Put the phone in a mount, answer with one tap, and talk without holding it.

Can I use a GPS or maps app while driving in Rhode Island?

Yes, when the phone is mounted or otherwise fixed to the vehicle for hands-free use. The exception covers starting, viewing or closing the navigation app, so enter your address while you are parked.

Can I text if I pull over on the side of the road?

Yes. A vehicle that has pulled over to the side of the road, or off it, and stopped where it can safely stay is not driving under the law. A stop in a travel lane for traffic or a light still counts as driving, so the ban applies there.

Did the 2025 law remove license suspension for phone tickets?

Yes, in § 31-22-30. The old text allowed a suspension of up to 3 months for a second conviction and up to 6 months for a third or later conviction. The current text names fines only. A driver under 18 still faces a $250 fine and/or loss of license until age 18 on a third or later conviction under § 31-22-11.9.

Are headphones allowed while driving in Rhode Island?

RIDOT guidance says headphones or other accessories that cover both ears are not allowed. The law lists an earpiece, a headset and a remote microphone as hands-free ways to use a phone, so choose a set that leaves one ear open.