The Defendant appealed the trial judge’s decision to sustain the charged violations of R.I.G.L. 1956 § 31-16-5 (turn signal required) and R.I.G.L. 1956 § 31-22-22 (safety belt use). The Defendant argued that because the prosecution failed to appear at trial, the trial abused his discretion by not dismissing the violation pursuant to Rule 17. Rule 17 reads that if the prosecution fails to appear for trial, the matter “may be dismissed.” The Panel held that the Defendant failed to prove that the trial judge’s decision was an abuse of discretion. Accordingly, the Panel upheld the trial judge’s decision to sustain the charged violations.