Rotary right of way — Rhode Island Permit Test

Rotary right of way on the Rhode Island permit test — 2 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

By R.I.G.L. 31-17-8, where no sign or device controls a rotary, a driver about to enter yields to all vehicles already in it, whatever direction they come from.

If entering cars had the right-of-way, the circle would lock up with cars that cannot leave.

R.I.G.L. 31-17-8, Right-of-Way at Rotary: In the absence of any traffic control device or sign, the driver of a vehicle about to enter a rotary, regardless of the direction from which the vehicle is approaching, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles already in the rotary.

Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, p.41

In Rhode Island, the State Traffic Commission decides where yield signs go at rotaries.

Without one body deciding, each town could sign its rotaries in a different way.

The State Traffic Commission shall determine the location of yield signs at rotaries.

Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, p.41

On the test

At a rotary with no sign, who has the right-of-way?

Vehicles already in the rotary. If entering cars had the right-of-way, the circle would lock up with cars that cannot leave. Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, p.41: “R.I.G.L. 31-17-8, Right-of-Way at Rotary: In the absence of any traffic control device or sign, the driver of a vehicle about to enter a rotary, regardless of the direction from which the vehicle is approaching, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles already in the rotary.”

How this works

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You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, published by the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.