(a) No operator of a motor vehicle shall proceed into an intersection that has been designated, posted, and marked by a municipality in accordance with subsection (b), except when making a turn, unless there is sufficient space on the opposite side of the intersection to accommodate such motor vehicle without obstructing the passage of other vehicles or pedestrians, notwithstanding the indication of a traffic control signal that would permit such operator to proceed into the intersection.
(b) Any municipality may, by ordinance, designate one or more intersections within that municipality as "Don't Block the Box" intersections, to which the provisions of subsection (a) shall apply. The municipality shall:
(1) Post "Don't Block the Box" signs, as designed by the state traffic commission so as to have conformity in all municipalities, at each such designated intersection indicating that blocking the intersection is prohibited and violators are subject to a fine; and
(2) Mark, in white paint, the boundary of such intersection with a line not less than one-foot in width and the area within such boundary line with parallel diagonal lines not less than one-foot in width.
(c) Prior to January 1, 2017, any motorist who violates this subsection shall be issued a verbal warning only; this verbal warning shall only apply to "Don't Block the Box" intersections as established by subsection (b).
(d) Effective January 1, 2017, any motorist who commits a first violation of this section shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100); a second violation of this section shall be fined two hundred fifty dollars ($250); and for a third and subsequent violation of this section, five hundred dollars ($500).
(e) Any city or town that determines that it has a traffic and safety problem in its community due to violations of this section on state intersections located within its municipality may petition the state traffic commission, created by § 31-13-1, for permission to paint "Don't Block the Box" lines in accordance with subsection (b).
History of Section.
P.L. 2016, ch. 539, § 1.