LCO No. 1490 1 of 19
General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5204
February Session, 2024
LCO No. 1490
Referred to Committee on TRANSPORTATION
Introduced by:
(TRA)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE REGISTRATION AND USE OF LOW -
SPEED VEHICLES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2024) (a) The Commissioner of 1
Motor Vehicles may issue a certificate of registration and number plates 2
to the owner or lessee of a low-speed vehicle upon receipt of an 3
application in accordance with the provisions of section 14-12 of the 4
general statutes, proof of financial responsibility in accordance with the 5
provisions of section 14-112 of the general statutes and payment of the 6
fee required under subsection (a) of section 14-49 of the general statutes 7
for a passenger motor vehicle. The commissioner shall issue a certificate 8
of title, pursuant to the provisions of part II of chapter 247 of the general 9
statutes, for each low-speed vehicle that has been issued a 10
manufacturer's or importer's certificate of origin and vehicle 11
identification number. 12
(b) No person may operate a low-speed vehicle unless (1) the person 13
carries a valid motor vehicle operator's license or learner's permit, (2) a 14
certificate of registration and automobile insurance identification card 15 Raised Bill No. 5204
LCO No. 1490 2 of 19
for the vehicle are carried in such vehicle and number plates are 16
displayed in accordance with the provisions of section 14-18 of the 17
general statutes, and (3) such vehicle is equipped in accordance with the 18
requirements of sections 14-80 to 14-106b, inclusive, of the general 19
statutes, except insofar as any requirement of said sections is 20
inapplicable to or inconsistent with the design and equipment standards 21
for low-speed vehicles, as adopted by the National Highway Safety 22
Traffic Administration in accordance with 49 CFR 571.500, as amended 23
from time to time. 24
(c) A low-speed vehicle may be operated on a highway only if such 25
highway has an established speed limit of not more than thirty-five 26
miles per hour, except that the traffic authority of any municipality may 27
limit or prohibit the operation of low-speed vehicles on any highway 28
under the jurisdiction of such traffic authority. 29
Sec. 2. Section 14-1 of the general statutes is repealed and the 30
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 31
Terms used in this chapter shall be construed as follows, unless 32
another construction is clearly apparent from the language or context in 33
which the term is used or unless the construction is inconsistent with 34
the manifest intention of the General Assembly: 35
(1) "Activity vehicle" means a student transportation vehicle that is 36
used to transport students in connection with school-sponsored events 37
and activities, but is not used to transport students to and from school; 38
(2) "Agricultural tractor" means a tractor or other form of 39
nonmuscular motive power used for transporting, hauling, plowing, 40
cultivating, planting, harvesting, reaping or other agricultural purposes 41
on any farm or other private property, or used for the purpose of 42
transporting, from one farm to another, agricultural implements and 43
farm products, provided the agricultural tractor is not used on any 44
highway for transporting a pay load or for some other commercial 45
purpose; 46 Raised Bill No. 5204
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(3) "Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle" means a motor 47
vehicle twenty years old or older which is being preserved because of 48
historic interest and which is not altered or modified from the original 49
manufacturer's specifications; 50
(4) "Apparent candle power" means an illumination equal to the 51
normal illumination in foot candles produced by any lamp or lamps, 52
divided by the square of the distance in feet between the lamp or lamps 53
and the point at which the measurement is made; 54
(5) "Authorized emergency vehicle" means (A) a fire department 55
vehicle, (B) a police vehicle, or (C) an authorized emergency medical 56
services vehicle, as defined in section 19a-175; 57
(6) "Autocycle" means a motor vehicle that meets the requirements of 58
a motorcycle under 49 CFR Part 571, and (A) does not have more than 59
three wheels in contact with the ground, (B) is designed to be controlled 60
with a steering mechanism and foot pedals for acceleration, braking or 61
shifting, (C) has a seat or seats that are fully or partially enclosed and in 62
which the occupants sit with their legs forward, and (D) is equipped 63
with safety belts, in accordance with section 14-100a, for all occupants; 64
(7) "Auxiliary driving lamp" means an additional lighting device on 65
a motor vehicle used primarily to supplement the general illumination 66
in front of a motor vehicle provided by the motor vehicle's head lamps; 67
(8) "Bulb" means a light source consisting of a glass bulb containing a 68
filament or substance capable of being electrically maintained at 69
incandescence; 70
(9) "Camp trailer" includes any trailer designed for living or sleeping 71
purposes and used exclusively for camping or recreational purposes; 72
(10) "Camp trailer registration" means the type of registration issued 73
to any trailer that is for nonbusiness use and is limited to camp trailers 74
and utility trailers; 75
(11) "Camp vehicle" means any motor vehicle that is regularly used 76 Raised Bill No. 5204
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to transport persons under eighteen years of age in connection with the 77
activities of any youth camp, as defined in section 19a-420; 78
(12) "Camper" means any motor vehicle designed or permanently 79
altered in such a way as to provide temporary living quarters for travel, 80
camping or recreational purposes; 81
(13) "Class 1 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with 82
a motor that engages only when the rider operates the electric bicycle's 83
foot pedals, and disengages when the rider stops pedaling or such 84
electric bicycle reaches the speed of twenty miles per hour; 85
(14) "Class 2 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with 86
a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the electric bicycle, and 87
disengages when the brakes are applied or such electric bicycle reaches 88
the speed of twenty miles per hour; 89
(15) "Class 3 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with 90
a motor that engages only when the rider operates the electric bicycle's 91
foot pedals, and disengages when the rider stops pedaling or such 92
electric bicycle reaches the speed of twenty-eight miles per hour; 93
(16) "Combination registration" means the type of registration issued 94
to a motor vehicle used for both private passenger and commercial 95
purposes if such vehicle does not have a gross vehicle weight rating in 96
excess of twelve thousand five hundred pounds; 97
(17) "Commercial driver's license" or "CDL" means a license issued to 98
an individual in accordance with the provisions of sections 14-44a to 14-99
44m, inclusive, which authorizes such individual to drive a commercial 100
motor vehicle; 101
(18) "Commercial driver's license information system" or "CDLIS" 102
means the national database of holders of commercial driver's licenses 103
established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 104
pursuant to Section 12007 of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act 105
of 1986; 106 Raised Bill No. 5204
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(19) "Commercial motor vehicle" means a vehicle designed or used to 107
transport passengers or property, except a vehicle used for farming 108
purposes in accordance with 49 CFR 383.3(d), fire fighting apparatus or 109
an emergency vehicle, as defined in section 14-283, or a recreational 110
vehicle in private use, which (A) has a gross vehicle weight rating of 111
twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, or a gross combination 112
weight rating of twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, inclusive 113
of a towed unit or units with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 114
ten thousand pounds; (B) is designed to transport sixteen or more 115
passengers, including the driver, or is designed to transport more than 116
ten passengers, including the driver, and is used to transport students 117
under the age of twenty-one years to and from school; or (C) is 118
transporting hazardous materials and is required to be placarded in 119
accordance with 49 CFR 172, Subpart F, as amended, or any quantity of 120
a material listed as a select agent or toxin in 42 CFR Part 73; 121
(20) "Commercial registration" means the type of registration 122
required for any motor vehicle designed or used to transport 123
merchandise, freight or persons in connection with any business 124
enterprise, unless a more specific type of registration is authorized and 125
issued by the commissioner for such class of vehicle; 126
(21) "Commercial trailer" means a trailer used in the conduct of a 127
business to transport freight, materials or equipment whether or not 128
permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer; 129
(22) "Commercial trailer registration" means the type of registration 130
issued to any commercial trailer; 131
(23) "Commissioner" includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles 132
and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is 133
designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner 134
of Motor Vehicles under a designation; except that the deputy 135
commissioners of motor vehicles and the Attorney General are deemed, 136
unless the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles otherwise provides, to be 137
designated and authorized by, and acting for, the Commissioner of 138 Raised Bill No. 5204
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Motor Vehicles under a designation; 139
(24) "Controlled substance" has the same meaning as provided in 140
section 21a-240 and the federal laws and regulations incorporated in 141
chapter 420b; 142
(25) "Conviction" means an unvacated adjudication of guilt, or a 143
determination that a person has violated or failed to comply with the 144
law in a court of original jurisdiction or an authorized administrative 145
tribunal, an unvacated forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure 146
the person's appearance in court, the payment of a fine or court cost, or 147
violation of a condition of release without bail, regardless of whether or 148
not the penalty is rebated, suspended or probated; 149
(26) "Dealer" includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling 150
or exchanging motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of 151
business in this state and who may, incidental to such business, repair 152
motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be repaired by persons in his 153
or her employ; 154
(27) "Disqualification" means a withdrawal of the privilege to drive a 155
commercial motor vehicle, which occurs as a result of (A) any 156
suspension, revocation, or cancellation by the commissioner of the 157
privilege to operate a motor vehicle; (B) a determination by the Federal 158
Highway Administration, under the rules of practice for motor carrier 159
safety contained in 49 CFR 386, as amended from time to time, that a 160
person is no longer qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle 161
under the standards set forth in 49 CFR 391, as amended from time to 162
time; or (C) the loss of qualification which follows any of the convictions 163
or administrative actions specified in section 14-44k; 164
(28) "Drive" means to drive, operate or be in physical control of a 165
motor vehicle, including a motor vehicle being towed by another; 166
(29) "Driver" means any person who drives, operates or is in physical 167
control of a commercial motor vehicle, or who is required to hold a 168
commercial driver's license; 169 Raised Bill No. 5204
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(30) "Driver's license" or "operator's license" means a valid 170
Connecticut motor vehicle operator's license or a license issued by 171
another state or foreign jurisdiction authorizing the holder thereof to 172
operate a motor vehicle on the highways; 173
(31) "Electric bicycle" means a bicycle equipped with operable foot 174
pedals and an electric motor of fewer than seven hundred fifty watts of 175
power that is either a class 1, class 2 or class 3 bicycle. "Electric bicycle" 176
does not include a dirt bike or an all-terrain vehicle; 177
(32) "Electric foot scooter" means a device (A) that weighs not more 178
than seventy-five pounds, (B) that has two or three wheels, handlebars 179
and a floorboard that can be stood upon while riding, (C) that is 180
powered by an electric motor and human power, and (D) whose 181
maximum speed, with or without human propulsion on a paved level 182
surface, is not more than twenty miles per hour; 183
(33) "Employee" means any operator of a commercial motor vehicle, 184
including full-time, regularly employed drivers, casual, intermittent or 185
occasional drivers, drivers under contract and independent owner-186
operator contractors, who, while in the course of operating a commercial 187
motor vehicle, are either directly employed by, or are under contract to, 188
an employer; 189
(34) "Employer" means any person, including the United States, a 190
state or any political subdivision thereof, who owns or leases a 191
commercial motor vehicle, or assigns a person to drive a commercial 192
motor vehicle; 193
(35) "Farm implement" means a vehicle designed and adapted 194
exclusively for agricultural, horticultural or livestock-raising operations 195
and which is not operated on a highway for transporting a pay load or 196
for any other commercial purpose; 197
(36) "Felony" means any offense, as defined in section 53a-25 and 198
includes any offense designated as a felony under federal law; 199 Raised Bill No. 5204
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(37) "Fatality" means the death of a person as a result of a motor 200
vehicle accident; 201
(38) "Foreign jurisdiction" means any jurisdiction other than a state of 202
the United States; 203
(39) "Fuels" means (A) all products commonly or commercially 204
known or sold as gasoline, including casinghead and absorption or 205
natural gasoline, regardless of their classification or uses, (B) any liquid 206
prepared, advertised, offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and 207
commercially used, as a fuel in internal combustion engines, which, 208
when subjected to distillation in accordance with the standard method 209
of test for distillation of gasoline, naphtha, kerosene and similar 210
petroleum products by "American Society for Testing Materials Method 211
D-86", shows not less than ten per cent distilled (recovered) below 347° 212
Fahrenheit (175° Centigrade) and not less than ninety-five per cent 213
distilled (recovered) below 464° Fahrenheit (240° Centigrade); provided 214
the term "fuels" does not include commercial solvents or naphthas 215
which distill, by "American Society for Testing Materials Method D-86", 216
not more than nine per cent at 176° Fahrenheit and which have a 217
distillation range of 150° Fahrenheit, or less, or liquefied gases which 218
would not exist as liquids at a temperature of 60° Fahrenheit and a 219
pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute, and (C) any liquid 220
commonly referred to as "gasohol" which is prepared, advertised, 221
offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and commercially used, as 222
a fuel in internal combustion engines, consisting of a blend of gasoline 223
and a minimum of ten per cent by volume of ethyl or methyl alcohol; 224
(40) "Garage" includes every place of business where motor vehicles 225
are, for compensation, received for housing, storage or repair; 226
(41) "Gross vehicle weight rating" or "GVWR" means the value 227
specified by the manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a 228
single or a combination (articulated) vehicle. The GVWR of a 229
combination (articulated) vehicle commonly referred to as the "gross 230
combination weight rating" or GCWR is the GVWR of the power unit 231 Raised Bill No. 5204
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plus the GVWR of the towed unit or units; 232
(42) "Gross weight" means the light weight of a vehicle plus the 233
weight of any load on the vehicle, provided, in the case of a tractor-234
trailer unit, "gross weight" means the light weight of the tractor plus the 235
light weight of the trailer or semitrailer plus the weight of the load on 236
the vehicle; 237
(43) "Hazardous materials" has the same meaning as provided in 49 238
CFR 383.5; 239
(44) "Head lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the front of a 240
motor vehicle projecting a high intensity beam which lights the road in 241
front of the vehicle so that it can proceed safely during the hours of 242
darkness; 243
(45) "High-mileage vehicle" means a motor vehicle having the 244
following characteristics: (A) Not less than three wheels in contact with 245
the ground; (B) a completely enclosed seat on which the driver sits; (C) 246
a single or two cylinder, gasoline or diesel engine or an electric-powered 247
engine; and (D) efficient fuel consumption; 248
(46) "Highway" includes any state or other public highway, road, 249
street, avenue, alley, driveway, parkway, place or dedicated roadway 250
for bus rapid transit service, under the control of the state or any 251
political subdivision of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to 252
public travel or other use; 253
(47) "Imminent hazard" means the existence of a condition that 254
presents a substantial likelihood that death, serious illness, severe 255
personal injury or a substantial endangerment to health, property, or the 256
environment may occur before the reasonably foreseeable completion 257
date of a formal proceeding begun to lessen the risk of that death, illness, 258
injury or endangerment; 259
(48) "Intersecting highway" includes any public highway which joins 260
another at an angle whether or not it crosses the other; 261 Raised Bill No. 5204
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(49) "Light weight" means the weight of an unloaded motor vehicle 262
as ordinarily equipped and ready for use, exclusive of the weight of the 263
operator of the motor vehicle; 264
(50) "Limited access highway" means a state highway so designated 265
under the provisions of section 13b-27; 266
(51) "Local authorities" includes the board of aldermen, common 267
council, chief of police, warden and burgesses, board of selectmen or 268
other officials having authority for the enactment or enforcement of 269
traffic regulations within their respective towns, cities or boroughs; 270
(52) "Low-speed vehicle" has the same meaning as provided in 49 271
CFR 571.3, as amended from time to time; 272
[(52)] (53) "Maintenance vehicle" means any vehicle in use by the state 273
or by any town, city, borough or district, any state bridge or parkway 274
authority or any public service company, as defined in section 16-1, in 275
the maintenance of public highways or bridges and facilities located 276
within the limits of public highways or bridges; 277
[(53)] (54) "Manufacturer" means (A) a person, whether a resident or 278
nonresident, engaged in the business of constructing or assembling new 279
motor vehicles of a type required to be registered by the commissioner, 280
for operation upon any highway, except a utility trailer, which are 281
offered for sale in this state, or (B) a person who distributes new motor 282
vehicles to new car dealers licensed in this state; 283
[(54)] (55) "Median divider" means an intervening space or physical 284
barrier or clearly indicated dividing section separating traffic lanes 285
provided for vehicles proceeding in opposite directions; 286
[(55)] (56) "Modified antique motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle 287
twenty years old or older which has been modified for safe road use, 288
including, but not limited to, modifications to the drive train, 289
suspension, braking system and safety or comfort apparatus; 290
[(56)] (57) "Motor bus" includes any motor vehicle, except a taxicab, 291 Raised Bill No. 5204
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as defined in section 13b-95, operated in whole or in part on any street 292
or highway in a manner affording a means of transportation by 293
indiscriminately receiving or discharging passengers, or running on a 294
regular route or over any portion of a regular route or between fixed 295
termini; 296
[(57)] (58) "Motor home" means a vehicular unit designed to provide 297
living quarters and necessary amenities which are built into an integral 298
part of, or permanently attached to, a truck or van chassis; 299
[(58)] (59) "Motor-driven cycle" means any of the following vehicles 300
that have a seat height of not less than twenty-six inches and a motor 301
having a capacity of less than fifty cubic centimeters piston 302
displacement: (A) A motorcycle, other than an autocycle; (B) a motor 303
scooter; or (C) a bicycle with attached motor, except an electric bicycle; 304
[(59)] (60) "Motor vehicle" means any vehicle propelled or drawn by 305
any nonmuscular power, [except] including a low-speed vehicle. "Motor 306
vehicle" does not include aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage 307
trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities, 308
electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by persons with 309
physical disabilities at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf 310
carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one 311
part of the golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on 312
roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state 313
employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run 314
only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and 315
lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were 316
designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, 317
whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment, 318
motor-driven cycles, as defined in section 14-286, special mobile 319
equipment, as defined in section 14-165, mini-motorcycles, as defined in 320
section 14-289j, electric bicycles, electric foot scooters and any other 321
vehicle not suitable for operation on a highway; 322
[(60)] (61) "Motorcycle" means (A) an autocycle, as defined in this 323 Raised Bill No. 5204
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section, or (B) a motor vehicle, with or without a side car, that has (i) not 324
more than three wheels in contact with the ground, (ii) a saddle or seat 325
which the rider straddles or a platform on which the rider stands, and 326
(iii) handlebars with which the rider controls the movement of the 327
vehicle. "Motorcycle" does not include a motor-driven cycle, an electric 328
bicycle or an electric foot scooter; 329
[(61)] (62) "National Driver Registry" or "NDR" means the licensing 330
information system and database operated by the National Highway 331
Traffic Safety Administration and established pursuant to the National 332
Driver Registry Act of 1982, as amended; 333
[(62)] (63) "New motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle, the equitable 334
or legal title to which has never been transferred by a manufacturer, 335
distributor or dealer to an ultimate consumer; 336
[(63)] (64) "Nonresident" means any person whose legal residence is 337
in a state other than Connecticut or in a foreign country; 338
[(64)] (65) "Nonresident commercial driver's license" or "nonresident 339
CDL" means a commercial driver's license issued by a state to an 340
individual who resides in a foreign jurisdiction; 341
[(65)] (66) "Nonskid device" means any device applied to the tires, 342
wheels, axles or frame of a motor vehicle for the purpose of increasing 343
the traction of the motor vehicle; 344
[(66)] (67) "Number plate" means any sign or marker furnished by the 345
commissioner on which is displayed the registration number assigned 346
to a motor vehicle by the commissioner; 347
[(67)] (68) "Officer" includes any constable, state marshal, inspector of 348
motor vehicles, state policeman or other official authorized to make 349
arrests or to serve process, provided the officer is in uniform or displays 350
the officer's badge of office in a conspicuous place when making an 351
arrest; 352
[(68)] (69) "Operator" means any person who operates a motor vehicle 353 Raised Bill No. 5204
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or who steers or directs the course of a motor vehicle being towed by 354
another motor vehicle and includes a driver; 355
[(69)] (70) "Out-of-service order" means an order (A) issued by a 356
person having inspection authority, as defined in regulations adopted 357
by the commissioner pursuant to section 14-163c, or by an authorized 358
official of the United States Department of Transportation Federal 359
Motor Carrier Safety Administration pursuant to any provision of 360
federal law, to prohibit any motor vehicle specified in subsection (a) of 361
section 14-163c from being operated on any highway, or to prohibit a 362
driver from operating any such motor vehicle, or (B) issued by the 363
United States Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier 364
Safety Administration, pursuant to any provision of federal law, to 365
prohibit any motor carrier, as defined in Section 386.2 of Title 49 of the 366
Code of Federal Regulations, from engaging in commercial motor 367
vehicle operations; 368
[(70)] (71) "Owner" means any person holding title to a motor vehicle, 369
or having the legal right to register the same, including purchasers 370
under conditional bills of sale; 371
[(71)] (72) "Parked vehicle" means a motor vehicle in a stationary 372
position within the limits of a public highway; 373
[(72)] (73) "Passenger and commercial motor vehicle" means a motor 374
vehicle used for private passenger and commercial purposes which is 375
eligible for combination registration; 376
[(73)] (74) "Passenger motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for 377
the private transportation of persons and their personal belongings, 378
designed to carry occupants in comfort and safety, with a capacity of 379
carrying not more than ten passengers including the operator thereof; 380
[(74)] (75) "Passenger registration" means the type of registration 381
issued to a passenger motor vehicle unless a more specific type of 382
registration is authorized and issued by the commissioner for such class 383
of vehicle; 384 Raised Bill No. 5204
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[(75)] (76) "Person" includes any individual, corporation, limited 385
liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business 386
trust or other aggregation of individuals but does not include the state 387
or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context clearly states or 388
requires; 389
[(76)] (77) "Pick-up truck" means a motor vehicle with an enclosed 390
forward passenger compartment and an open rearward compartment 391
used for the transportation of property; 392
[(77)] (78) "Pneumatic tires" means tires inflated or inflatable with air; 393
[(78)] (79) "Pole trailer" means a trailer which is (A) intended for 394
transporting long or irregularly shaped loads such as poles, logs, pipes 395
or structural members, which loads are capable of sustaining 396
themselves as beams between supporting connections, and (B) designed 397
to be drawn by a motor vehicle and attached or secured directly to the 398
motor vehicle by any means including a reach, pole or boom; 399
[(79)] (80) "Public passenger endorsement" means an endorsement 400
issued to an individual, which authorizes such individual to transport 401
passengers, including, but not limited to, passengers who are students 402
in accordance with subsection (b) or (c) of section 14-36a; 403
[(80)] (81) "Recreational vehicle" includes the camper, camp trailer 404
and motor home classes of vehicles; 405
[(81)] (82) "Registration" includes the certificate of motor vehicle 406
registration and the number plate or plates used in connection with such 407
registration; 408
[(82)] (83) "Registration number" means the identifying number or 409
letters, or both, assigned by the commissioner to a motor vehicle; 410
[(83)] (84) "Resident", for the purpose of registering motor vehicles, 411
includes any person who is a legal resident of this state, as the 412
commissioner may presume from the fact that such person occupies a 413
place of dwelling in this state for more than six months in a year, or any 414 Raised Bill No. 5204
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person, firm or corporation owning or leasing a motor vehicle used or 415
operated in intrastate business in this state, or a firm or corporation 416
having its principal office or place of business in this state; 417
[(84)] (85) "School bus" means any school bus, as defined in section 418
14-275, including a commercial motor vehicle used to transport 419
preschool, elementary school or secondary school students from home 420
to school, from school to home, or to and from school-sponsored events, 421
but does not include a bus used as a common carrier; 422
[(85)] (86) "Second" violation or "subsequent" violation means an 423
offense committed not more than three years after the date of an arrest 424
which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same 425
statutory provision, except in the case of a violation of section 14-215, 426
14-224, 14-227a or 14-227m, "second" violation or "subsequent" violation 427
means an offense committed not more than ten years after the date of an 428
arrest which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same 429
statutory provision; 430
[(86)] (87) "Semitrailer" means any trailer type vehicle designed and 431
used in conjunction with a motor vehicle so that some part of its own 432
weight and load rests on or is carried by another vehicle; 433
[(87)] (88) "Serious traffic violation" means a conviction of any of the 434
following offenses: (A) Excessive speeding, involving a single offense in 435
which the speed is fifteen miles per hour or more above the posted 436
speed limit, in violation of section 14-218a or 14-219; (B) reckless driving 437
in violation of section 14-222; (C) following too closely in violation of 438
section 14-240 or 14-240a; (D) improper or erratic lane changes, in 439
violation of section 14-236; (E) using a hand-held mobile telephone or 440
other electronic device or typing, reading or sending text or a text 441
message with or from a mobile telephone or mobile electronic device in 442
violation of subsection (e) of section 14-296aa while operating a 443
commercial motor vehicle; (F) driving a commercial motor vehicle 444
without a valid commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-36a 445
or 14-44a; (G) failure to carry a commercial driver's license in violation 446 Raised Bill No. 5204
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of section 14-44a; (H) failure to have the proper class of license or 447
endorsement, or violation of a license restriction in violation of section 448
14-44a; or (I) a violation of any provision of chapter 248, by an operator 449
who holds a commercial driver's license or instruction permit that 450
results in the death of another person; 451
[(88)] (89) "Service bus" includes any vehicle except a vanpool vehicle 452
or a school bus designed and regularly used to carry ten or more 453
passengers when used in private service for the transportation of 454
persons without charge to the individual; 455
[(89)] (90) "Service car" means any motor vehicle used by a 456
manufacturer, dealer or repairer for emergency motor vehicle repairs on 457
the highways of this state, for towing or for the transportation of 458
necessary persons, tools and materials to and from the scene of such 459
emergency repairs or towing; 460
[(90)] (91) "Shoulder" means that portion of a highway immediately 461
adjacent and contiguous to the travel lanes or main traveled portion of 462
the roadway; 463
[(91)] (92) "Solid tires" means tires of rubber, or other elastic material 464
approved by the Commissioner of Transportation, which do not depend 465
on confined air for the support of the load; 466
[(92)] (93) "Spot lamp" or "spot light" means a lighting device 467
projecting a high intensity beam, the direction of which can be readily 468
controlled for special or emergency lighting as distinguished from 469
ordinary road illumination; 470
[(93)] (94) "State" means any state of the United States and the District 471
of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the 472
state of Connecticut; 473
[(94)] (95) "Stop" means complete cessation of movement; 474
[(95)] (96) "Student" means any person under the age of twenty-one 475
years who is attending a preprimary, primary or secondary school 476 Raised Bill No. 5204
LCO No. 1490 17 of 19
program of education; 477
[(96)] (97) "Tail lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the rear of a 478
motor vehicle showing a red light to the rear and indicating the presence 479
of the motor vehicle when viewed from behind; 480
[(97)] (98) "Tank vehicle" means any commercial motor vehicle 481
designed to transport any liquid or gaseous material within a tank that 482
is either permanently or temporarily attached to the vehicle or its 483
chassis, which includes, but is not limited to, a cargo tank and portable 484
tank, as defined in 49 CFR 383.5, as amended, provided it does not 485
include a portable tank with a rated capacity not to exceed one thousand 486
gallons; 487
[(98)] (99) "Tractor" or "truck tractor" means a motor vehicle designed 488
and used for drawing a semitrailer; 489
[(99)] (100) "Tractor-trailer unit" means a combination of a tractor and 490
a trailer or a combination of a tractor and a semitrailer; 491
[(100)] (101) "Trailer" means any rubber-tired vehicle without motive 492
power drawn or propelled by a motor vehicle; 493
[(101)] (102) "Truck" means a motor vehicle designed, used or 494
maintained primarily for the transportation of property; 495
[(102)] (103) "Ultimate consumer" means, with respect to a motor 496
vehicle, the first person, other than a dealer, who in good faith purchases 497
the motor vehicle for purposes other than resale; 498
[(103)] (104) "United States" means the fifty states and the District of 499
Columbia; 500
[(104)] (105) "Used motor vehicle" includes any motor vehicle which 501
has been previously separately registered by an ultimate consumer; 502
[(105)] (106) "Utility trailer" means a trailer designed and used to 503
transport personal property, materials or equipment, whether or not 504 Raised Bill No. 5204
LCO No. 1490 18 of 19
permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer; 505
[(106)] (107) "Vanpool vehicle" includes all motor vehicles, the 506
primary purpose of which is the daily transportation, on a prearranged 507
nonprofit basis, of individuals between home and work, and which: (A) 508
If owned by or leased to a person, or to an employee of the person, or to 509
an employee of a local, state or federal government unit or agency 510
located in Connecticut, are manufactured and equipped in such manner 511
as to provide a seating capacity of at least seven but not more than 512
fifteen individuals, or (B) if owned by or leased to a regional ride-513
sharing organization in the state recognized by the Commissioner of 514
Transportation, are manufactured and equipped in such manner as to 515
provide a seating capacity of at least six but not more than nineteen 516
individuals; 517
[(107)] (108) "Vehicle" includes any device suitable for the 518
conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property, 519
whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other 520
means. The term does not include devices propelled or drawn by human 521
power or devices used exclusively on tracks; 522
[(108)] (109) "Vehicle identification number" or "VIN" means a series 523
of Arabic numbers and Roman letters that is assigned to each new motor 524
vehicle that is manufactured within or imported into the United States, 525
in accordance with the provisions of 49 CFR 565, unless another 526
sequence of numbers and letters has been assigned to a motor vehicle 527
by the commissioner, in accordance with the provisions of section 14-528
149; 529
[(109)] (110) "Wrecker" means a vehicle which is registered, designed, 530
equipped and used for the purposes of towing or transporting wrecked 531
or disabled motor vehicles for compensation or for related purposes by 532
a person, firm or corporation licensed in accordance with the provisions 533
of subpart (D) of part III of this chapter or a vehicle contracted for the 534
consensual towing or transporting of one or more motor vehicles to or 535
from a place of sale, purchase, salvage or repair. 536 Raised Bill No. 5204
LCO No. 1490 19 of 19
Sec. 3. Subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 14-390f of the 537
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 538
thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 539
(1) "All-terrain vehicle" means any three or more wheeled motorized 540
vehicle, generally characterized by large, low-pressure tires, a seat 541
designed to be straddled by the operator and handlebars for steering, 542
which is intended for off-road use by an individual rider on various 543
types of nonpaved terrain. Such vehicles do not include trail bikes, golf 544
carts, agricultural tractors, farm implements, [and] construction 545
machines and low-speed vehicles; 546
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2024 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2024 14-1
Sec. 3 October 1, 2024 14-390f(a)(1)
Statement of Purpose:
To provide for the registration of low-speed vehicles and the operation
of such vehicles on highways with posted speed limits of thirty-five
miles per hour or less.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]