Rhode Island General Laws Title 31. Motor and Other Vehicles § 31-38-3. Owners and drivers to comply with inspection laws

(a) No seller at retail or person driving a vehicle shall refuse to submit the vehicle to an inspection and test as required by § 31-38-2.

(b) Every seller at retail, owner, or driver, upon receiving a notice as provided in § 31-38-2, shall comply with it and shall within five (5) days forward the approved notice to the department of revenue. In the event of noncompliance with this subsection, the vehicle shall not be operated on any highways of this state.

(c) Any vehicle which is found to be in such unsafe condition as to the brakes, steering, or other equipment as to be hazardous to permit it to be sold or driven from the place of inspection, then the vehicle shall not be permitted to be operated under its own power. The registration shall be immediately suspended by the department of revenue and the plates and certificates immediately returned to the department of revenue.

(d) In the event repair or adjustment of any vehicle or its equipment is found necessary upon inspection, the seller at retail or owner of the vehicle may obtain the repair or adjustment at any place he or she may choose, but in every event an approval shall be obtained, otherwise the vehicle shall not be operated upon the highways of this state.

(e) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.