Rhode Island § 31-51-5 - School Bus Safety Enforcement

§ 31-51-5. Driver/registered owner liability.

(a) The registered owner of a motor vehicle shall not operate or allow the motor vehicle to be operated in violation of this chapter. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that the registered owner of the vehicle that is photographed pursuant to this chapter was operating the vehicle.

(b) In all prosecutions of civil traffic violations based on evidence obtained from a live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system as provided under this chapter, the registered owner of the vehicle shall be primarily responsible in all prosecutions of violations pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, except as otherwise provided under this chapter.

(c) In the event that the registered owner of the vehicle operated in violation of this chapter was not the operator of the vehicle at the time of the violation, the registered owner shall either:

(1) Accept responsibility for the violation by paying the fine; or

(2) Upon receipt of the notice of the violation, provide the issuing authority, within twenty (20) days of the date of issuance, the name and address of the individual operating the vehicle at the time which the violation occurred.

(d) It shall be prima facie evidence, establishing a rebuttable presumption, that the owner of the registered motor vehicle was the operator of the vehicle at the time of the violation if the registered owner of the motor vehicle fails to pay the fine and fails to proceed under subdivision (c)(2) of this section. Evidence offered pursuant to this chapter shall be sufficient to establish a violation of § 31-51-2.2 by clear and convincing evidence.

(e) The owner of a rented or leased motor vehicle may establish non-liability for violations issued pursuant to this chapter by providing to the issuing authority a copy of the written rental or a lease agreement which shall be prima facie evidence, establishing a rebuttable presumption, that the lessee was the operator of the vehicle. In the event that the lessee was not the operator of the motor vehicle at the time of the violation, the lessee shall either:

(1) Accept responsibility for the violation by paying the fine; or

(2) Upon receipt of the notice of the violation, provide the issuing authority within twenty (20) days of the date of issuance, the name and address of the individual operating the vehicle at the time which the violation occurred.