In Rhode Island, DUI or refusal to submit to chemical testing is considered a second offense if it occurred within ____ years of the previous offense of the same type.

In Rhode Island, refusal to submit to chemical testing is considered a second offense if it occurred within five years of the previous offense. Likewise, refusal is considered a third offense if it occurred within five years of the first offense. (The same holds true for DUI.) The penalties for a second offense are harsher than those for a first offense, and the penalties for a third offense can be harsher still. [E. Penalties; Chapter X. Drinking and Driving; Rhode Island Driver's Manual]