R.I. Gen. Laws
Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-4 (2026)

Reckless driving and other offenses against public safety

✓ current as of July 2026
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Any person who operates a motor vehicle recklessly so that the lives or safety of the public might be endangered, or operates a vehicle in an attempt to elude or flee from a traffic officer or police vehicle, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor for the first conviction and a felony for the second and each subsequent conviction.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 17 cases, 1969–2019 · leading case: United States v. Roseboro, 551 F.3d 226 (4th Cir. 2009).
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United States v. Roseboro, 551 F.3d 226 (4th Cir. 2009). · cites it 2× “"); R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-4 (requiring the state to prove that the defendant operated a vehicle in an "attempt to elude or flee from a traffic officer or police vehicle"); S.”
State v. Kayborn Brown, 88 A.3d 1101 (R.I. 2014). · cites it 2× “2 (count 7), carrying a pistol without a license in violation of § 11-47-8(a) (count 8), reckless driving in violation of G.L.1956 § 31-27-4 (count 9), and driving on a suspended license in violation of G.”
State v. Berker, 314 A.2d 11 (R.I. 1974). · cites it 6× “1956 (1968 Reenactment) §31-27-4. His appeal is comprised of four issues of law, three of which have been previously decided by this court.”
State v. Benjamin D. Minior, 175 A.3d 1202 (R.I. 2018). · cites it 2× “3 Section § 31-27-4. -1- dismiss and the state appealed.”
State v. Berberian, 374 A.2d 778 (R.I. 1977). “1956 (1968 Reenactment) §31-27-4 after a jury trial in Superior Court.”
State v. Lunt, 260 A.2d 149 (R.I. 1969). · cites it 2× “” In other words, in order to sustain a conviction for a reckless homicide under §31-27-1 or for reckless driving under §31-27-4, as amended by P. L. 1967, chap.”
State v. Joseph Silva, 197 A.3d 1287 (R.I. 2019). · cites it 3× “A jury in Providence County Superior Court found the defendant, Joseph Silva (Silva or defendant), guilty of reckless driving, in violation of G.L. 1956 § 31-27-4, which was count two of the original five counts of a criminal information brought against him.”
State Ex Rel. Town of Middletown v. Snyder, 692 A.2d 705 (R.I. 1997). · cites it 2× “The defendant submitted to a breathalyzer test and was subsequently charged with driving under the influence, in violation of G.L.1956 § 31-27-4. At a pretrial conference, the trial judge granted defendant’s motion to suppress the breathalyzer results on the grounds that the…”
State v. DiMuccio, 258 A.2d 67 (R.I. 1969). · cites it 2× “1956, §31-27-4. Unfortunately for defendant, the statute he refers to was substantially amended by the legislature in 1958.”
In Re Barbera, 285 B.R. 355 (Bankr. D.R.I. 2002). · cites it 2× “Driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated is governed by R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-4 (2000), and operating a boat while intoxicated comes within R.”
State v. Northup, 486 A.2d 589 (R.I. 1985). “1956 (1982 Reenactment) § 31-27-1; leaving the scene of an accident after personal injury, in violation of § 31-26-1 (two counts); and attempting to elude a traffic officer, in violation of § 31-27-4. The jury found the defendant not guilty on the remaining count of driving…”
State v. Saulnier, 280 A.2d 85 (R.I. 1971). “1956, §31-27-4. This 1958 amendment was in turn amended by P.”
Show all 17 citing cases →
— R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-4(b) — 1 case
State Ex Rel. Town of Middletown v. Kinder, 769 A.2d 614 (R.I. 2001).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.