Off Road Recovery | RI Division of Motor Vehicles

RHODE ISLAND’S TITLE LAW HAS CHANGED Effective March 1, 2024

The Rhode Island DMV will no longer be accepting photocopies, images, or electronic copies of titles.
All new registration and/or new title transactions will now REQUIRE THE ORIGINAL TITLE to be submitted to the RI DMV at the time the transaction takes place.
Your lienholder or leasing company can send the original title to the RI DMV, ATTN: Research Office, 600 New London Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920 or to you directly. We highly recommend that the title and other documents are sent with tracking information to enable customers and lienholders to know when the title was received.
As long as your contact information (name, address, phone and e-mail) is included with the title, the RI DMV will contact you once your original title has been received so you can complete your transaction. Be advised that this process can take several weeks for the original title to be sent to the RI DMV. Please also be advised that the RI DMV cannot request a title from a lienholder or lease company.
A VIN check is required for all transactions involving an Out-of-State title/vehicle.
Reservations are required for all visits. PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY.
For more information on RI’s new title laws, and new requirements for registration and title transactions, CLICK HERE and scroll down.

Off Road Recovery

If you are involved in a situation where driving off the road is your only option of avoiding a collision, or you have driven off the shoulder, follow the steps listed below to return to the roadway:

Hold the steering wheel firmly (on the top) half with both hands. The greater the drop-off between roadway and shoulder, the greater amount of steering control you need. Keep your vehicle heading straight toward your target.

Ease up on the accelerator and all the vehicle to slow down gradually. Avoid braking, if possible.

Position your vehicle so it straddles the roadway edge.

Select a place to return to the roadway, where the shoulder is nearest the level of the roadway.

Check for traffic. Signal, check your blind spot, and return to the roadway.

Steer sharply toward the roadway to return. If the drop-off is severe, you might need to slow more and turn very sharply to get back onto the pavement.

Counter-steer sharply the instant the front tires touch the roadway. You counter-steer when you steer in the opposite direction.

Center the vehicle in the lane closest to where you left the roadway and re-establish your target. Cancel your signal. Accelerate to match the flow of traffic.