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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 608
January Session, 2021
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E SAFETY OF CHILDREN WHEN BUYING
ICE CREAM FROM A FRO ZEN DESSERT TRUCK.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
1
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) For the purposes of this 2
section and sections 2 to 5, inclusive, of this act: 3
(1) "Frozen dessert truck" means a motor vehicle in which frozen 4
desserts are carried for purposes of retail sale on the highway; 5
(2) "Vend" means offering frozen desserts for sale from a frozen 6
dessert truck; 7
(3) "Frozen desserts" has the same meaning as provided in section 8
21a-48 of the general statutes; and 9
(4) "Highway" has the same meaning as provided in section 14-1 of 10
the general statutes. 11
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) Except as provided in 12
subsection (b) of this section, the operator of a vehicle shall stop such 13
vehicle not less than ten feet from the front when approaching and not 14
less than ten feet from the rear when overtaking any frozen dessert truck 15 Substitute Bill No. 608
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on a highway when the frozen dessert truck is displaying flashing red 16
signal lights and extending the stop signal arm and the front crossing 17
arm. The operator may then proceed past the frozen dessert truck at a 18
reasonable and prudent speed, not exceeding five miles per hour, and 19
shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian who crosses the highway 20
to or from the frozen dessert truck. 21
(b) The operator of a vehicle on a highway with two or more lanes for 22
traffic separated by a safety island or physical barrier may proceed 23
without stopping upon approaching or overtaking a frozen dessert 24
truck on another lane. 25
(c) Violation of any provision of this section shall be an infraction. 26
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) On and after May 1, 2022, each 27
frozen dessert truck shall be equipped in the following manner: 28
(1) Signal lamps mounted at the same level and as high and as widely 29
spaced laterally as practicable. The signal lamps shall be not less than 30
five and not more than seven inches in diameter and shall display two 31
alternately flashing red signal lights visible at a distance of not less than 32
five hundred feet to the front and rear in normal sunlight upon a straight 33
level highway. 34
(2) A stop signal arm that can be extended horizontally from the left 35
side of the frozen dessert truck. When such arm is extended, the side of 36
such arm nearest the truck shall be seven and one-quarter inches long 37
and parallel to the side of the truck. The side farthest from the truck shall 38
be eighteen inches long and parallel to the side nearest the truck. The 39
two sides shall be eighteen inches apart creating a symmetrical, 40
trapezoidal shape. Two alternately flashing red lights shall be located in 41
the outside corners of the extended signal arm and such corners shall be 42
rounded to conform with the shape of the lights. Each red light shall be 43
not less than three and not more than five inches in diameter and visible 44
at a distance of not less than three hundred feet to the front and rear in 45
normal sunlight upon a straight level highway. Both sides of the signal 46 Substitute Bill No. 608
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arm shall have a red reflectorized background and the following legend: 47
The word "STOP" shall appear in six-inch-high white letters not to 48
exceed four inches in length in the middle of the signal arm; above the 49
word "STOP", the phrase "IF SAFE" shall appear in two-inch-high white 50
letters not to exceed one and three-fourths inches in length; below the 51
word "STOP", the phrase "THEN GO" shall appear in two-inch-high 52
white letters not to exceed one and three-fourths inches in length. The 53
colors of the background and legend shall conform to the requirements 54
set forth in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets 55
and Highways published by the Federal Highway Administration, as 56
amended from time to time. The bottom of the extended signal arm shall 57
be approximately forty-two inches above the street. 58
(3) A convex mirror mounted on the front of the frozen dessert truck 59
so the operator in a normal seating position is capable of seeing the area 60
in front of the truck that is obscured by the hood. 61
(4) A front crossing arm attached to the front bumper of the frozen 62
dessert truck hinged from the truck's right side. The bottom of the front 63
crossing arm shall be not less than sixteen and not more than twenty 64
inches above the street. The front crossing arm shall be made of any 65
durable material covered with a yellow or white reflective material and 66
shall extend in conjunction with the stop signal arm described in 67
subdivision (2) of this subsection. When extended outward in front of 68
the truck, the front crossing arm shall extend not less than four and not 69
more than six feet parallel to the ground. When retracted against the 70
front of the truck, the front crossing arm shall not extend past the width 71
of the truck on the operator's left side. 72
(b) On and after July 1, 2021, and until April 30, 2022, a person 73
operating a frozen dessert truck shall not stop or park the truck to vend 74
to a child in any location where the child would be required to cross the 75
highway to approach the frozen dessert truck. The provisions of this 76
subsection shall not apply if (1) a child is physically escorted by an adult, 77
or (2) a frozen dessert truck is equipped as required by subsection (a) of 78
this section. 79 Substitute Bill No. 608
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(c) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall not register a frozen 80
dessert truck unless such truck is equipped with signal lamps, a stop 81
sign arm, a convex mirror and a front crossing arm in accordance with 82
the provisions of subsection (a) of this section. 83
(d) Any person who operates a frozen dessert truck (1) without 84
equipping such truck as required by subsection (a) of this section, or (2) 85
in violation of the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, shall have 86
committed an infraction. 87
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) On and after May 1, 2022, or 88
when a frozen dessert truck is equipped as required by subsection (a) of 89
section 3 of this act, whichever is earlier, the operator of any frozen 90
dessert truck shall display flashing red signal lights and extend the stop 91
signal arm and the front crossing arm (1) for not less than fifty feet before 92
the operator brings the frozen dessert truck to a stop to vend, (2) while 93
vending, and (3) until all customers are safely off the highway. 94
(b) The operator of any frozen dessert truck shall not display the 95
flashing red signal lights or extend the stop signal arm and the front 96
crossing arm when the frozen dessert truck is in motion, except as 97
provided in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, or stopped 98
for a purpose other than vending. 99
(c) Violation of any provision of this section shall be an infraction. 100
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) No person shall vend from a 101
frozen dessert truck that is stopped or parked on any highway: 102
(1) When the posted speed limit on such highway is greater than 103
twenty-five miles per hour; 104
(2) When such highway is less than one hundred feet from an 105
intersection with another highway that has a posted speed limit greater 106
than twenty-five miles per hour; 107
(3) Located less than five hundred feet from any property used as an 108 Substitute Bill No. 608
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elementary or middle school, one hour before and one hour after the 109
regular school day, unless that day is not a school day and the local or 110
regional board of education approves such vending in writing; 111
(4) When such person does not have a free and unobstructed view for 112
at least two hundred feet in both directions of the highway where the 113
frozen dessert truck is stopped or parked; or 114
(5) To a person standing in the highway. 115
(b) No person shall (1) stop on the left side of a one-way highway to 116
vend, or (2) back up a frozen dessert truck to vend or attempt to vend. 117
(c) A person shall vend (1) when the frozen dessert truck is lawfully 118
stopped or parked, and (2) from the side of the frozen dessert truck 119
facing away from moving vehicular traffic and as close as practicable to 120
the curb or edge of the highway. 121
(d) Violation of any provision of this section shall be an infraction. 122
Sec. 6. Subsection (b) of section 14-96p of the general statutes is 123
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 124
2021): 125
(b) Except as provided in section 14-96q, flashing lights are prohibited 126
on motor vehicles, except: (1) Red and yellow lights when used for the 127
purpose of receiving or discharging students on school buses; (2) white 128
lights that are located on the top rear of school buses; (3) when such 129
lights are used as a means for indicating a right or left turn; [or] (4) when 130
such lights are used in any manner to indicate (A) a disabled vehicle that 131
is stopped in a hazardous location on the highway, or in close proximity 132
thereto, (B) a motor vehicle that is unable to maintain the minimum 133
speed of forty miles per hour on a limited access divided highway 134
because of the grade of such highway, (C) a motor vehicle that is 135
operating at such slow speed as to obstruct or endanger following traffic 136
on any highway, or (D) a student transportation vehicle, as defined in 137
section 14-212, accommodating fifteen or fewer students with 138 Substitute Bill No. 608
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disabilities that is receiving or discharging such students; or (5) red 139
lights when used by a frozen dessert truck pursuant to section 4 of this 140
act. For the purpose of this subsection, [the term] "students with 141
disabilities" means students who have intellectual disability, autism 142
spectrum disorder, mental disability, visual impairment, blindness, 143
deafness, speech impairment or orthopedic impairment, who are hard 144
of hearing or who have another health impairment who, by reason 145
thereof, require special education and related services, and "frozen 146
dessert truck" has the same meaning as provided in section 1 of this act. 147
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2021 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2021 New section
Sec. 4 July 1, 2021 New section
Sec. 5 July 1, 2021 New section
Sec. 6 July 1, 2021 14-96p(b)
TRA Joint Favorable Subst.