Q. I would like to know if there is a law in Rhode Island regarding having your car’s headlights on when it is raining or snowing. It seems to me that a law was enacted that when your wipers are on, so should your lights. During a rain or snowstorm, I see many cars running without their lights on.

A. It is indeed a law, Harvey. RIGL 31-24-1 states “(a) Every vehicle upon a highway within this state at any time from sunset to sunrise and at any other time when windshield wipers are in use, as a result of rain, sleet, snow, hail or other unfavorable atmospheric condition…shall display lighted lamps and illuminating devices as respectively required under this chapter for different classes of vehicles…” The fine for violating this statute is $75.

Rules for minors

Q. My daughter will be turning 16 soon and I have some questions. I know that she can sign up for theDriver’s Ed course when she is 15 years and 10 months old, but once she gets her permit, how long does she have to wait to get a license? Also, what restrictions are placed on drivers under the age of 18?

A. A limited instruction permit can be issued as soon as the child turns 16 and most drag Mom or Dad to the DMV on that all-important 16th birthday! Limited instruction permits are issued to those between the ages of 16 and 18.

To have the instruction permit issued you will need a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate, your child’s Social Security card, the certificate issued by CCRI stating that he or she has successfully completed the Driver’s Ed course with a passing grade, and your Rhode Island driver’s license or R.I. Identification Card. We require identification from parents for two reasons — one, so that the customer service representative can notarize the affidavit on the back of the permit application that states the parent is giving permission to the minor child to obtain a license; the other is to provide proof of Rhode Island residency for the minor child.

The minor child must then hold the permit for a minimum of six months, though the instruction permit is issued for one year. During that time, the limited permit holder must adhere to the following rules when behind the wheel: the permit holder must be in possession of the permit; a supervising driver who has held a license for five years or more must be seated beside the permit holder in the front seat of the vehicle when it is in motion and no person other than the supervising driver can be in the front seat. In addition, the permit holder and every person occupying the vehicle being driven by the permit holder must be wearing a safety belt at all times.

A road test can be scheduled six months in the future on the day the child receives the instruction permit — and due to the road test schedule filling up quickly, we recommend that you do so — but the permit is valid for a year.

Once the road test is taken and passed, the minor child is issued what’s called a limited provisional license. The limited provisional license will only be issued if the child has not been convicted of a moving violation or seat belt infraction during the previous six months.

A limited provisional license authorizes the holder to operate a motor vehicle unsupervised only under the following conditions (the limited license holder can operated at any time while supervised): from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. and when driving to and from work. Seatbelts are required for the driver and all passengers. And during the first twelve (12) months of a limited provisional license, no more than one passenger under the age of twenty-one (21) is allowed in the vehicle, excluding immediate family members.

Also, RIGL 31-22-11.9 states “The use of a cell phone by a minor while said minor is operating a motor vehicle shall be prohibited, except in the case of an emergency.” First and second offenses carry a $50 fine, and third offense is punishable by a fine of $100 and/or loss of license until the driver turns 18.

Gina Antonucci Zanni, chief of communications for the State Division of Motor Vehicles, has agreed to answer questions of general interest posed by Journal readers about state motor vehicle laws and procedures. To ask a question that would also be of interest to other readers, send a letter to Ask projoCars, Features Department, The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI, 02902. You can e-mail your question to projocars@projo.com. Please put “Ask projoCars” in the subject field. Questions or complaints of a specific nature should be posed to the DMV directly and will not be answered in this column.