Rhode Island Car Accident Laws | Accident Claim Map

At the scene and reporting a crash in Rhode Island

Always stop and help anyone who is hurt. Leaving the scene of a crash is a crime in every state.

When to call the police: If anyone is hurt or killed, or you hit a car that someone is driving or sitting in, you must stop, give your name, address and registration number, show your license, help anyone hurt, and immediately tell the local or state police by the quickest means (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 31-26-1 to 31-26-3). If you hit a parked, unattended car, find the owner or leave a written note, and immediately notify the police (§ 31-26-4). The same applies if you damage fixtures by the road (§ 31-26-5).
Damage amount: $1,000
Report to the state: If anyone is hurt or killed, or any one person's property damage (including your own) is over $1,000, send a written report to the Division of Motor Vehicles within 21 days, on DMV forms.
Deadline for your report: 21 days
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 31-26-1 to 31-26-6
Official text: Read the official text

First 24 hours after a crash in Rhode Island

Tick the boxes as you go, or print the list and keep it in your glove box.

Insurance system in Rhode Island

Rhode Island is a fault (tort) state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the other people's injuries and damage.

System: Fault (tort)
PIP, benefits and when you can sue: No PIP required. Rhode Island has no no-fault law: the driver who caused the crash (and their liability insurer) pays for others' injuries and damage.
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-47-2 (liability policy); no no-fault statute found
Official text: Read the official text

Compare every state in the no-fault states table.

Who pays: comparative fault in Rhode Island

Rule: Pure comparative
What it means: In Rhode Island, you can recover damages even if you were mostly at fault, but they are reduced by your share of the fault.
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-20-4: your own lack of care doesn't bar recovery; damages are reduced by your share of fault

Compare every state's rule in the comparative negligence table.

Who pays in Rhode Island: fault and payout explainer

If both drivers share the blame, your state's comparative-fault rule decides whether you can recover and how much. Enter your share of the fault and your total damages to see what the rule means. This is an illustration, not a prediction: insurers, juries and judges decide the percentages.

Minimum insurance in Rhode Island

Liability minimum: 25/50/25
Uninsured / underinsured motorist (UM/UIM): Uninsured motorist coverage for injuries must be included at the same limits as your bodily injury liability. You can pick lower limits in writing, but not below the state minimum; only if you buy just the minimum coverage can you reduce it to zero, after signing an approved advisory notice. You can reject uninsured motorist property damage coverage in writing, and if you have collision coverage it isn't required unless you choose it (R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.1).
Official text: Read the official text

Numbers like 25/50/25 mean $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for all injuries in one crash and $25,000 for property damage. Compare every state in the minimum insurance table.

Getting the police report in Rhode Island

Ask the police department that responded to the crash (your city or town police, or the Rhode Island State Police) for a copy.

No confirmed online way to order a report in Rhode Island? Ask by mail with our free police report request letter.

Filing a claim and insurer deadlines in Rhode Island

How fast insurers must act: Rhode Island regulation 230-RICR-20-40-2 sets these rules. Insurers must acknowledge a claim in writing within 15 days and reply to other claim letters within 15 days. In that first reply, they must tell you whether you have coverage for a comparable rental car. On a claim under your own policy, they must accept or deny it within 21 days after proof of loss, or tell you within 21 days why they need more time, then write every 45 days. They must pay undisputed amounts within 30 days after accepting liability. If your claim is denied and you object, they must tell you in writing that the Division of Insurance can review it. State law also makes it an unfair practice to fail to respond to a claim within 30 days unless you agree to more time (R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-9.1-4(a)(16)).

Put your claim in writing. Our free insurance claim letter lists your damages and asks for a written answer, within 15 days for Rhode Island where our data gives a day count.

If the other driver has no insurance in Rhode Island

Your uninsured motorist coverage pays for injuries caused by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver, at the same limits as your liability coverage unless you chose lower limits in writing. It also covers damage to your car unless you rejected that part in writing; if you have collision coverage, uninsured motorist property damage is optional (R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.1).

Read what to do if you are hit by an uninsured driver.

Deadlines to sue in Rhode Island

Property damage (your car): 10 years
Injury: 3 years
Notes, including claims against a government: Before suing a Rhode Island city or town, you must present a detailed account of your claim to its city or town council; if it isn't paid within 40 days, you can sue (R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-15-5).
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b) (injuries to the person, 3 years); § 9-1-13(a) (general 10-year deadline)

The deadline is the statute of limitations. Insurance claims and talks with an adjuster don't stop it. Compare every state in the deadlines table.

Deadline to sue in Rhode Island

Every state limits how long you have to file a lawsuit after a car crash. This is the statute of limitations. Choose your state, the type of claim and the date of the crash to see the usual deadline and the last day to file. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Small claims for property damage in Rhode Island

Small claims limit: $5,000, but only for contract claims, claims about a retail sale or services, and claims on a negotiable instrument. A claim for car damage from a crash is not on that list, so it normally goes to the regular District Court civil calendar.

Rhode Island small claims guide on Small Claims Map

Small claims court can be a way to recover the cost of repairs from the driver who caused the crash. Read how to use small claims for car damage.

Insurance complaints in Rhode Island

If an insurer delays, underpays or denies a claim without a good reason, you can file a complaint with the state insurance regulator:

Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Insurance Division

Free help in Rhode Island

Good to know in Rhode Island

Pure comparative fault: you can recover even if you were mostly at fault, minus your share (R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-20-4).
Small claims court can't hear car accident damage claims; these go to regular District Court (R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-16-1).
An insurer can't total your car if repairs cost less than 75%-80% of its fair market value, unless you agree in writing. Since July 5, 2025, you may choose to have it declared a total loss once repairs reach 75% (R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-9.1-4(a)(29); 230-RICR-20-40-2.8).

Changes in 2024–2026

P.L. 2025, ch. 472 and 473 (effective July 5, 2025) amended the total-loss rule in R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-9.1-4(a)(29): the owner may have the car declared a total loss once repairs reach 75% of fair market value. The claims regulation 230-RICR-20-40-2 was amended to match, effective Feb. 27, 2026.

Free letters

Insurance claim letter

Ask the other driver's insurer to pay your damages, in writing.

Police report request letter

Ask the police agency for a copy of the crash report by mail.

Questions about car accidents in Rhode Island

When do you have to report a car accident in Rhode Island?

If anyone is hurt or killed, or you hit a car that someone is driving or sitting in, you must stop, give your name, address and registration number, show your license, help anyone hurt, and immediately tell the local or state police by the quickest means (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 31-26-1 to 31-26-3). If you hit a parked, unattended car, find the owner or leave a written note, and immediately notify the police (§ 31-26-4). The same applies if you damage fixtures by the road (§ 31-26-5). If anyone is hurt or killed, or any one person's property damage (including your own) is over $1,000, send a written report to the Division of Motor Vehicles within 21 days, on DMV forms.

Is Rhode Island a no-fault state?

No. Rhode Island is a fault (tort) state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the other people's injuries and damage.

Can I get money if I was partly at fault in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, you can recover damages even if you were mostly at fault, but they are reduced by your share of the fault. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-20-4: your own lack of care doesn't bar recovery; damages are reduced by your share of fault)

What is the minimum car insurance in Rhode Island?

25/50/25 Uninsured motorist coverage for injuries must be included at the same limits as your bodily injury liability.

How long do you have to sue after a car accident in Rhode Island?

10 years for property damage and 3 years for injury (R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b) (injuries to the person, 3 years); § 9-1-13(a) (general 10-year deadline)).

How do I get a police report in Rhode Island?

Ask the police department that responded to the crash (your city or town police, or the Rhode Island State Police) for a copy.

What if the other driver has no insurance in Rhode Island?

Your uninsured motorist coverage pays for injuries caused by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver, at the same limits as your liability coverage unless you chose lower limits in writing. It also covers damage to your car unless you rejected that part in writing; if you have collision coverage, uninsured motorist property damage is optional (R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.1).

Where can I complain about a car insurance company in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Insurance Division: https://dbr.ri.gov/insurance

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Car accidents in Rhode Island: what to do and who pays