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6/4/2026
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Senate approves Tikoian legislation to stiffen penalties for crimes involving road rage
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STATE HOUSE — The Senate has passed legislation introduced by Majority Whip David P. Tikoian that would add extra penalties for motor vehicle offenses when they involve road rage.
Casey’s Law (2026-S 3169A) is named in memory of Casey Bassignani, a 23-year-old Johnston woman who was killed in November in a collision that witnesses said occurred when another driver forced her car off Route 295 in Cranston.
“As a former state trooper, this one hits close to home for me personally, as it impacted our State Police family,” said Senator Tikoian (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, Lincoln, North Providence), a retired State Police major. “Casey was the daughter of State Police Capt. David Bassignani and the sister to State Trooper Jake Bassignani. This bill not only stiffens penalties to make our roads safer, but establishes a Road Rage and Safe Driving Education Fund, where all fines collected under the act would be deposited and used to fund public awareness and education about the serious consequences of road rage and encourage safer driving behavior.”
The legislation would levy an additional fine of up to $1,000 and up to a year of additional license suspension to any misdemeanor conviction, on top of the penalty for the crime itself, when the defendant engaged in intentionally aggressive, harassing, intimidating or dangerous behavior as a driver or passenger. For felonies, the additional penalty would be at least two and up to 15 years of additional prison time, a mandatory fine of at least $1,000 and license suspension of up to five additional years, or revocation for two additional years.
Casey Bassignani’s parents, David and Lynn Bassignani, provided emotional testimony at the bill’s hearing, telling the Senate Judiciary Committee how hurtful it is to them to know that a crime that took their daughter’s life likely would not result in as long a prison sentence as they feel it warrants.
A 2025 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 96% of respondents admitted to engaging in aggressive driving behavior in the previous year. Eleven percent said they’d engaged in violent actions such as intentionally bumping another vehicle or confronting another driver. The same study found that cutting off other vehicles had risen by 67% in the previous decade, and honking horns out of anger rose 47%.
The measure now moves to the House of Representatives, where similar legislation (2026-H 8384) has been introduced by Rep. Arthur Corvese (D-Dist. 55, North Providence).
For more information, contact:
Daniel Trafford, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-1922
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