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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5204
February Session, 2024
AN ACT CONCERNING THE OPERATION 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) A person may operate 1
a low-speed vehicle on a highway with an established speed limit of not 2
more than twenty-five miles per hour, unless the traffic authority of any 3
town, city or borough and the Office of State Traffic Administration, as 4
provided in section 14-298 of the general statutes, prohibits or otherwise 5
limits the operation of low-speed vehicles on any highway under the 6
jurisdiction of such traffic authority or office. 7
(b) No person may operate a low-speed vehicle unless such vehicle is 8
equipped in accordance with the requirements of sections 14-80 to 14-9
106b, inclusive, of the general statutes, except insofar as any 10
requirement of said sections is inapplicable to or inconsistent with the 11
design and equipment standards for low-speed vehicles as required by 12
49 CFR 571.500, as amended from time to time. 13
(c) Any person who operates a low-speed vehicle in violation of any 14
provision of this section shall have committed an infraction. 15
Sec. 2. Subsection (f) of section 14-12 of the general statutes is repealed 16
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 17 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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(f) (1) The commissioner may refuse to register or issue a certificate 18
of title for a motor vehicle or class of motor vehicles if the commissioner 19
determines that the characteristics of the motor vehicle or class of motor 20
vehicles make it unsafe for highway operation. The commissioner may 21
adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to 22
implement the provisions of this subsection and the provisions of 23
subsection (h) of this section. 24
(2) The commissioner shall not register a motor vehicle if the 25
commissioner knows that the motor vehicle's equipment fails to comply 26
with the provisions of this chapter, provided nothing contained in this 27
section shall preclude the commissioner from issuing one or more 28
temporary registrations for a motor vehicle not previously registered in 29
this state or from issuing a temporary registration for a motor vehicle 30
under a trade name without a certified copy of the notice required by 31
section 35-1. 32
(3) The commissioner shall not register any motor vehicle, except a 33
platform truck the motive power of which is electricity, or a tractor 34
equipped with solid tires, if it is not equipped with lighting devices as 35
prescribed by this chapter. The registration of any motor vehicle which 36
is not equipped with such prescribed lighting devices is void and money 37
paid for the registration shall be forfeited to the state. Nothing in this 38
subdivision shall prevent the commissioner, at the commissioner's 39
discretion, from registering a motor vehicle not equipped with certain 40
lighting devices if the operation of the vehicle is restricted to daylight 41
use. 42
(4) The commissioner shall not register any motor vehicle or a 43
combination of a motor vehicle and a trailer or semitrailer that exceeds 44
the limits specified in section 14-267a. 45
(5) No motor vehicle registration shall be issued by the commissioner 46
for any motorcycle unless the application for registration is 47
accompanied by sufficient proof, as determined by the commissioner, 48
that the motorcycle is insured for the amounts required by section 14-49 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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289f. 50
(6) The commissioner shall not register any motor vehicle which is 51
subject to the federal heavy vehicle use tax imposed under Section 4481 52
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or any subsequent corresponding 53
internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time 54
amended, if the applicant fails to furnish proof of payment of such tax, 55
in a form prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United 56
States. 57
(7) The commissioner shall not issue a certificate of title for a 58
homemade low-speed vehicle or a golf cart that has been retrofitted 59
from the original manufacturer's specifications in an attempt to qualify 60
as a low-speed vehicle. 61
Sec. 3. Section 14-1 of the general statutes is repealed and the 62
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 63
Terms used in this chapter shall be construed as follows, unless 64
another construction is clearly apparent from the language or context in 65
which the term is used or unless the construction is inconsistent with 66
the manifest intention of the General Assembly: 67
(1) "Activity vehicle" means a student transportation vehicle that is 68
used to transport students in connection with school-sponsored events 69
and activities, but is not used to transport students to and from school; 70
(2) "Agricultural tractor" means a tractor or other form of 71
nonmuscular motive power used for transporting, hauling, plowing, 72
cultivating, planting, harvesting, reaping or other agricultural purposes 73
on any farm or other private property, or used for the purpose of 74
transporting, from one farm to another, agricultural implements and 75
farm products, provided the agricultural tractor is not used on any 76
highway for transporting a pay load or for some other commercial 77
purpose; 78
(3) "Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle" means a motor 79 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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vehicle twenty years old or older which is being preserved because of 80
historic interest and which is not altered or modified from the original 81
manufacturer's specifications; 82
(4) "Apparent candle power" means an illumination equal to the 83
normal illumination in foot candles produced by any lamp or lamps, 84
divided by the square of the distance in feet between the lamp or lamps 85
and the point at which the measurement is made; 86
(5) "Authorized emergency vehicle" means (A) a fire department 87
vehicle, (B) a police vehicle, or (C) an authorized emergency medical 88
services vehicle, as defined in section 19a-175; 89
(6) "Autocycle" means a motor vehicle that meets the requirements of 90
a motorcycle under 49 CFR Part 571, and (A) does not have more than 91
three wheels in contact with the ground, (B) is designed to be controlled 92
with a steering mechanism and foot pedals for acceleration, braking or 93
shifting, (C) has a seat or seats that are fully or partially enclosed and in 94
which the occupants sit with their legs forward, and (D) is equipped 95
with safety belts, in accordance with section 14-100a, for all occupants; 96
(7) "Auxiliary driving lamp" means an additional lighting device on 97
a motor vehicle used primarily to supplement the general illumination 98
in front of a motor vehicle provided by the motor vehicle's head lamps; 99
(8) "Bulb" means a light source consisting of a glass bulb containing a 100
filament or substance capable of being electrically maintained at 101
incandescence; 102
(9) "Camp trailer" includes any trailer designed for living or sleeping 103
purposes and used exclusively for camping or recreational purposes; 104
(10) "Camp trailer registration" means the type of registration issued 105
to any trailer that is for nonbusiness use and is limited to camp trailers 106
and utility trailers; 107
(11) "Camp vehicle" means any motor vehicle that is regularly used 108
to transport persons under eighteen years of age in connection with the 109 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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activities of any youth camp, as defined in section 19a-420; 110
(12) "Camper" means any motor vehicle designed or permanently 111
altered in such a way as to provide temporary living quarters for travel, 112
camping or recreational purposes; 113
(13) "Class 1 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with 114
a motor that engages only when the rider operates the electric bicycle's 115
foot pedals, and disengages when the rider stops pedaling or such 116
electric bicycle reaches the speed of twenty miles per hour; 117
(14) "Class 2 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with 118
a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the electric bicycle, and 119
disengages when the brakes are applied or such electric bicycle reaches 120
the speed of twenty miles per hour; 121
(15) "Class 3 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with 122
a motor that engages only when the rider operates the electric bicycle's 123
foot pedals, and disengages when the rider stops pedaling or such 124
electric bicycle reaches the speed of twenty-eight miles per hour; 125
(16) "Combination registration" means the type of registration issued 126
to a motor vehicle used for both private passenger and commercial 127
purposes if such vehicle does not have a gross vehicle weight rating in 128
excess of twelve thousand five hundred pounds; 129
(17) "Commercial driver's license" or "CDL" means a license issued to 130
an individual in accordance with the provisions of sections 14-44a to 14-131
44m, inclusive, which authorizes such individual to drive a commercial 132
motor vehicle; 133
(18) "Commercial driver's license information system" or "CDLIS" 134
means the national database of holders of commercial driver's licenses 135
established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 136
pursuant to Section 12007 of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act 137
of 1986; 138
(19) "Commercial motor vehicle" means a vehicle designed or used to 139 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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transport passengers or property, except a vehicle used for farming 140
purposes in accordance with 49 CFR 383.3(d), fire fighting apparatus or 141
an emergency vehicle, as defined in section 14-283, or a recreational 142
vehicle in private use, which (A) has a gross vehicle weight rating of 143
twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, or a gross combination 144
weight rating of twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, inclusive 145
of a towed unit or units with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 146
ten thousand pounds; (B) is designed to transport sixteen or more 147
passengers, including the driver, or is designed to transport more than 148
ten passengers, including the driver, and is used to transport students 149
under the age of twenty-one years to and from school; or (C) is 150
transporting hazardous materials and is required to be placarded in 151
accordance with 49 CFR 172, Subpart F, as amended, or any quantity of 152
a material listed as a select agent or toxin in 42 CFR Part 73; 153
(20) "Commercial registration" means the type of registration 154
required for any motor vehicle designed or used to transport 155
merchandise, freight or persons in connection with any business 156
enterprise, unless a more specific type of registration is authorized and 157
issued by the commissioner for such class of vehicle; 158
(21) "Commercial trailer" means a trailer used in the conduct of a 159
business to transport freight, materials or equipment whether or not 160
permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer; 161
(22) "Commercial trailer registration" means the type of registration 162
issued to any commercial trailer; 163
(23) "Commissioner" includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles 164
and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is 165
designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner 166
of Motor Vehicles under a designation; except that the deputy 167
commissioners of motor vehicles and the Attorney General are deemed, 168
unless the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles otherwise provides, to be 169
designated and authorized by, and acting for, the Commissioner of 170
Motor Vehicles under a designation; 171 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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(24) "Controlled substance" has the same meaning as provided in 172
section 21a-240 and the federal laws and regulations incorporated in 173
chapter 420b; 174
(25) "Conviction" means an unvacated adjudication of guilt, or a 175
determination that a person has violated or failed to comply with the 176
law in a court of original jurisdiction or an authorized administrative 177
tribunal, an unvacated forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure 178
the person's appearance in court, the payment of a fine or court cost, or 179
violation of a condition of release without bail, regardless of whether or 180
not the penalty is rebated, suspended or probated; 181
(26) "Dealer" includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling 182
or exchanging motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of 183
business in this state and who may, incidental to such business, repair 184
motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be repaired by persons in his 185
or her employ; 186
(27) "Disqualification" means a withdrawal of the privilege to drive a 187
commercial motor vehicle, which occurs as a result of (A) any 188
suspension, revocation, or cancellation by the commissioner of the 189
privilege to operate a motor vehicle; (B) a determination by the Federal 190
Highway Administration, under the rules of practice for motor carrier 191
safety contained in 49 CFR 386, as amended from time to time, that a 192
person is no longer qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle 193
under the standards set forth in 49 CFR 391, as amended from time to 194
time; or (C) the loss of qualification which follows any of the convictions 195
or administrative actions specified in section 14-44k; 196
(28) "Drive" means to drive, operate or be in physical control of a 197
motor vehicle, including a motor vehicle being towed by another; 198
(29) "Driver" means any person who drives, operates or is in physical 199
control of a commercial motor vehicle, or who is required to hold a 200
commercial driver's license; 201
(30) "Driver's license" or "operator's license" means a valid 202 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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Connecticut motor vehicle operator's license or a license issued by 203
another state or foreign jurisdiction authorizing the holder thereof to 204
operate a motor vehicle on the highways; 205
(31) "Electric bicycle" means a bicycle equipped with operable foot 206
pedals and an electric motor of fewer than seven hundred fifty watts of 207
power that is either a class 1, class 2 or class 3 bicycle. "Electric bicycle" 208
does not include a dirt bike or an all-terrain vehicle; 209
(32) "Electric foot scooter" means a device (A) that weighs not more 210
than seventy-five pounds, (B) that has two or three wheels, handlebars 211
and a floorboard that can be stood upon while riding, (C) that is 212
powered by an electric motor and human power, and (D) whose 213
maximum speed, with or without human propulsion on a paved level 214
surface, is not more than twenty miles per hour; 215
(33) "Employee" means any operator of a commercial motor vehicle, 216
including full-time, regularly employed drivers, casual, intermittent or 217
occasional drivers, drivers under contract and independent owner-218
operator contractors, who, while in the course of operating a commercial 219
motor vehicle, are either directly employed by, or are under contract to, 220
an employer; 221
(34) "Employer" means any person, including the United States, a 222
state or any political subdivision thereof, who owns or leases a 223
commercial motor vehicle, or assigns a person to drive a commercial 224
motor vehicle; 225
(35) "Farm implement" means a vehicle designed and adapted 226
exclusively for agricultural, horticultural or livestock-raising operations 227
and which is not operated on a highway for transporting a pay load or 228
for any other commercial purpose; 229
(36) "Felony" means any offense, as defined in section 53a-25 and 230
includes any offense designated as a felony under federal law; 231
(37) "Fatality" means the death of a person as a result of a motor 232 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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vehicle accident; 233
(38) "Foreign jurisdiction" means any jurisdiction other than a state of 234
the United States; 235
(39) "Fuels" means (A) all products commonly or commercially 236
known or sold as gasoline, including casinghead and absorption or 237
natural gasoline, regardless of their classification or uses, (B) any liquid 238
prepared, advertised, offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and 239
commercially used, as a fuel in internal combustion engines, which, 240
when subjected to distillation in accordance with the standard method 241
of test for distillation of gasoline, naphtha, kerosene and similar 242
petroleum products by "American Society for Testing Materials Method 243
D-86", shows not less than ten per cent distilled (recovered) below 347° 244
Fahrenheit (175° Centigrade) and not less than ninety-five per cent 245
distilled (recovered) below 464° Fahrenheit (240° Centigrade); provided 246
the term "fuels" does not include commercial solvents or naphthas 247
which distill, by "American Society for Testing Materials Method D-86", 248
not more than nine per cent at 176° Fahrenheit and which have a 249
distillation range of 150° Fahrenheit, or less, or liquefied gases which 250
would not exist as liquids at a temperature of 60° Fahrenheit and a 251
pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute, and (C) any liquid 252
commonly referred to as "gasohol" which is prepared, advertised, 253
offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and commercially used, as 254
a fuel in internal combustion engines, consisting of a blend of gasoline 255
and a minimum of ten per cent by volume of ethyl or methyl alcohol; 256
(40) "Garage" includes every place of business where motor vehicles 257
are, for compensation, received for housing, storage or repair; 258
(41) "Gross vehicle weight rating" or "GVWR" means the value 259
specified by the manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a 260
single or a combination (articulated) vehicle. The GVWR of a 261
combination (articulated) vehicle commonly referred to as the "gross 262
combination weight rating" or GCWR is the GVWR of the power unit 263
plus the GVWR of the towed unit or units; 264 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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(42) "Gross weight" means the light weight of a vehicle plus the 265
weight of any load on the vehicle, provided, in the case of a tractor-266
trailer unit, "gross weight" means the light weight of the tractor plus the 267
light weight of the trailer or semitrailer plus the weight of the load on 268
the vehicle; 269
(43) "Hazardous materials" has the same meaning as provided in 49 270
CFR 383.5; 271
(44) "Head lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the front of a 272
motor vehicle projecting a high intensity beam which lights the road in 273
front of the vehicle so that it can proceed safely during the hours of 274
darkness; 275
(45) "High-mileage vehicle" means a motor vehicle having the 276
following characteristics: (A) Not less than three wheels in contact with 277
the ground; (B) a completely enclosed seat on which the driver sits; (C) 278
a single or two cylinder, gasoline or diesel engine or an electric-powered 279
engine; and (D) efficient fuel consumption; 280
(46) "Highway" includes any state or other public highway, road, 281
street, avenue, alley, driveway, parkway, place or dedicated roadway 282
for bus rapid transit service, under the control of the state or any 283
political subdivision of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to 284
public travel or other use; 285
(47) "Imminent hazard" means the existence of a condition that 286
presents a substantial likelihood that death, serious illness, severe 287
personal injury or a substantial endangerment to health, property, or the 288
environment may occur before the reasonably foreseeable completion 289
date of a formal proceeding begun to lessen the risk of that death, illness, 290
injury or endangerment; 291
(48) "Intersecting highway" includes any public highway which joins 292
another at an angle whether or not it crosses the other; 293
(49) "Light weight" means the weight of an unloaded motor vehicle 294 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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as ordinarily equipped and ready for use, exclusive of the weight of the 295
operator of the motor vehicle; 296
(50) "Limited access highway" means a state highway so designated 297
under the provisions of section 13b-27; 298
(51) "Local authorities" includes the board of aldermen, common 299
council, chief of police, warden and burgesses, board of selectmen or 300
other officials having authority for the enactment or enforcement of 301
traffic regulations within their respective towns, cities or boroughs; 302
(52) "Low-speed vehicle" has the same meaning as provided in 49 303
CFR 571.3, as amended from time to time; 304
[(52)] (53) "Maintenance vehicle" means any vehicle in use by the state 305
or by any town, city, borough or district, any state bridge or parkway 306
authority or any public service company, as defined in section 16-1, in 307
the maintenance of public highways or bridges and facilities located 308
within the limits of public highways or bridges; 309
[(53)] (54) "Manufacturer" means (A) a person, whether a resident or 310
nonresident, engaged in the business of constructing or assembling new 311
motor vehicles of a type required to be registered by the commissioner, 312
for operation upon any highway, except a utility trailer, which are 313
offered for sale in this state, or (B) a person who distributes new motor 314
vehicles to new car dealers licensed in this state; 315
[(54)] (55) "Median divider" means an intervening space or physical 316
barrier or clearly indicated dividing section separating traffic lanes 317
provided for vehicles proceeding in opposite directions; 318
[(55)] (56) "Modified antique motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle 319
twenty years old or older which has been modified for safe road use, 320
including, but not limited to, modifications to the drive train, 321
suspension, braking system and safety or comfort apparatus; 322
[(56)] (57) "Motor bus" includes any motor vehicle, except a taxicab, 323
as defined in section 13b-95, operated in whole or in part on any street 324 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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or highway in a manner affording a means of transportation by 325
indiscriminately receiving or discharging passengers, or running on a 326
regular route or over any portion of a regular route or between fixed 327
termini; 328
[(57)] (58) "Motor home" means a vehicular unit designed to provide 329
living quarters and necessary amenities which are built into an integral 330
part of, or permanently attached to, a truck or van chassis; 331
[(58)] (59) "Motor-driven cycle" means any of the following vehicles 332
that have a seat height of not less than twenty-six inches and a motor 333
having a capacity of less than fifty cubic centimeters piston 334
displacement: (A) A motorcycle, other than an autocycle; (B) a motor 335
scooter; or (C) a bicycle with attached motor, except an electric bicycle; 336
[(59)] (60) "Motor vehicle" means any vehicle propelled or drawn by 337
any nonmuscular power, [except] including a low-speed vehicle. "Motor 338
vehicle" does not include aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage 339
trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities, 340
electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by persons with 341
physical disabilities at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf 342
carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one 343
part of the golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on 344
roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state 345
employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run 346
only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and 347
lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were 348
designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, 349
whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment, 350
motor-driven cycles, as defined in section 14-286, special mobile 351
equipment, as defined in section 14-165, mini-motorcycles, as defined in 352
section 14-289j, electric bicycles, electric foot scooters and any other 353
vehicle not suitable for operation on a highway; 354
[(60)] (61) "Motorcycle" means (A) an autocycle, as defined in this 355
section, or (B) a motor vehicle, with or without a side car, that has (i) not 356 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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more than three wheels in contact with the ground, (ii) a saddle or seat 357
which the rider straddles or a platform on which the rider stands, and 358
(iii) handlebars with which the rider controls the movement of the 359
vehicle. "Motorcycle" does not include a motor-driven cycle, an electric 360
bicycle or an electric foot scooter; 361
[(61)] (62) "National Driver Registry" or "NDR" means the licensing 362
information system and database operated by the National Highway 363
Traffic Safety Administration and established pursuant to the National 364
Driver Registry Act of 1982, as amended; 365
[(62)] (63) "New motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle, the equitable 366
or legal title to which has never been transferred by a manufacturer, 367
distributor or dealer to an ultimate consumer; 368
[(63)] (64) "Nonresident" means any person whose legal residence is 369
in a state other than Connecticut or in a foreign country; 370
[(64)] (65) "Nonresident commercial driver's license" or "nonresident 371
CDL" means a commercial driver's license issued by a state to an 372
individual who resides in a foreign jurisdiction; 373
[(65)] (66) "Nonskid device" means any device applied to the tires, 374
wheels, axles or frame of a motor vehicle for the purpose of increasing 375
the traction of the motor vehicle; 376
[(66)] (67) "Number plate" means any sign or marker furnished by the 377
commissioner on which is displayed the registration number assigned 378
to a motor vehicle by the commissioner; 379
[(67)] (68) "Officer" includes any constable, state marshal, inspector of 380
motor vehicles, state policeman or other official authorized to make 381
arrests or to serve process, provided the officer is in uniform or displays 382
the officer's badge of office in a conspicuous place when making an 383
arrest; 384
[(68)] (69) "Operator" means any person who operates a motor vehicle 385
or who steers or directs the course of a motor vehicle being towed by 386 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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another motor vehicle and includes a driver; 387
[(69)] (70) "Out-of-service order" means an order (A) issued by a 388
person having inspection authority, as defined in regulations adopted 389
by the commissioner pursuant to section 14-163c, or by an authorized 390
official of the United States Department of Transportation Federal 391
Motor Carrier Safety Administration pursuant to any provision of 392
federal law, to prohibit any motor vehicle specified in subsection (a) of 393
section 14-163c from being operated on any highway, or to prohibit a 394
driver from operating any such motor vehicle, or (B) issued by the 395
United States Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier 396
Safety Administration, pursuant to any provision of federal law, to 397
prohibit any motor carrier, as defined in Section 386.2 of Title 49 of the 398
Code of Federal Regulations, from engaging in commercial motor 399
vehicle operations; 400
[(70)] (71) "Owner" means any person holding title to a motor vehicle, 401
or having the legal right to register the same, including purchasers 402
under conditional bills of sale; 403
[(71)] (72) "Parked vehicle" means a motor vehicle in a stationary 404
position within the limits of a public highway; 405
[(72)] (73) "Passenger and commercial motor vehicle" means a motor 406
vehicle used for private passenger and commercial purposes which is 407
eligible for combination registration; 408
[(73)] (74) "Passenger motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for 409
the private transportation of persons and their personal belongings, 410
designed to carry occupants in comfort and safety, with a capacity of 411
carrying not more than ten passengers including the operator thereof; 412
[(74)] (75) "Passenger registration" means the type of registration 413
issued to a passenger motor vehicle unless a more specific type of 414
registration is authorized and issued by the commissioner for such class 415
of vehicle; 416 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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[(75)] (76) "Person" includes any individual, corporation, limited 417
liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business 418
trust or other aggregation of individuals but does not include the state 419
or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context clearly states or 420
requires; 421
[(76)] (77) "Pick-up truck" means a motor vehicle with an enclosed 422
forward passenger compartment and an open rearward compartment 423
used for the transportation of property; 424
[(77)] (78) "Pneumatic tires" means tires inflated or inflatable with air; 425
[(78)] (79) "Pole trailer" means a trailer which is (A) intended for 426
transporting long or irregularly shaped loads such as poles, logs, pipes 427
or structural members, which loads are capable of sustaining 428
themselves as beams between supporting connections, and (B) designed 429
to be drawn by a motor vehicle and attached or secured directly to the 430
motor vehicle by any means including a reach, pole or boom; 431
[(79)] (80) "Public passenger endorsement" means an endorsement 432
issued to an individual, which authorizes such individual to transport 433
passengers, including, but not limited to, passengers who are students 434
in accordance with subsection (b) or (c) of section 14-36a; 435
[(80)] (81) "Recreational vehicle" includes the camper, camp trailer 436
and motor home classes of vehicles; 437
[(81)] (82) "Registration" includes the certificate of motor vehicle 438
registration and the number plate or plates used in connection with such 439
registration; 440
[(82)] (83) "Registration number" means the identifying number or 441
letters, or both, assigned by the commissioner to a motor vehicle; 442
[(83)] (84) "Resident", for the purpose of registering motor vehicles, 443
includes any person who is a legal resident of this state, as the 444
commissioner may presume from the fact that such person occupies a 445
place of dwelling in this state for more than six months in a year, or any 446 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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person, firm or corporation owning or leasing a motor vehicle used or 447
operated in intrastate business in this state, or a firm or corporation 448
having its principal office or place of business in this state; 449
[(84)] (85) "School bus" means any school bus, as defined in section 450
14-275, including a commercial motor vehicle used to transport 451
preschool, elementary school or secondary school students from home 452
to school, from school to home, or to and from school-sponsored events, 453
but does not include a bus used as a common carrier; 454
[(85)] (86) "Second" violation or "subsequent" violation means an 455
offense committed not more than three years after the date of an arrest 456
which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same 457
statutory provision, except in the case of a violation of section 14-215, 458
14-224, 14-227a or 14-227m, "second" violation or "subsequent" violation 459
means an offense committed not more than ten years after the date of an 460
arrest which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same 461
statutory provision; 462
[(86)] (87) "Semitrailer" means any trailer type vehicle designed and 463
used in conjunction with a motor vehicle so that some part of its own 464
weight and load rests on or is carried by another vehicle; 465
[(87)] (88) "Serious traffic violation" means a conviction of any of the 466
following offenses: (A) Excessive speeding, involving a single offense in 467
which the speed is fifteen miles per hour or more above the posted 468
speed limit, in violation of section 14-218a or 14-219; (B) reckless driving 469
in violation of section 14-222; (C) following too closely in violation of 470
section 14-240 or 14-240a; (D) improper or erratic lane changes, in 471
violation of section 14-236; (E) using a hand-held mobile telephone or 472
other electronic device or typing, reading or sending text or a text 473
message with or from a mobile telephone or mobile electronic device in 474
violation of subsection (e) of section 14-296aa while operating a 475
commercial motor vehicle; (F) driving a commercial motor vehicle 476
without a valid commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-36a 477
or 14-44a; (G) failure to carry a commercial driver's license in violation 478 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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of section 14-44a; (H) failure to have the proper class of license or 479
endorsement, or violation of a license restriction in violation of section 480
14-44a; or (I) a violation of any provision of chapter 248, by an operator 481
who holds a commercial driver's license or instruction permit that 482
results in the death of another person; 483
[(88)] (89) "Service bus" includes any vehicle except a vanpool vehicle 484
or a school bus designed and regularly used to carry ten or more 485
passengers when used in private service for the transportation of 486
persons without charge to the individual; 487
[(89)] (90) "Service car" means any motor vehicle used by a 488
manufacturer, dealer or repairer for emergency motor vehicle repairs on 489
the highways of this state, for towing or for the transportation of 490
necessary persons, tools and materials to and from the scene of such 491
emergency repairs or towing; 492
[(90)] (91) "Shoulder" means that portion of a highway immediately 493
adjacent and contiguous to the travel lanes or main traveled portion of 494
the roadway; 495
[(91)] (92) "Solid tires" means tires of rubber, or other elastic material 496
approved by the Commissioner of Transportation, which do not depend 497
on confined air for the support of the load; 498
[(92)] (93) "Spot lamp" or "spot light" means a lighting device 499
projecting a high intensity beam, the direction of which can be readily 500
controlled for special or emergency lighting as distinguished from 501
ordinary road illumination; 502
[(93)] (94) "State" means any state of the United States and the District 503
of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the 504
state of Connecticut; 505
[(94)] (95) "Stop" means complete cessation of movement; 506
[(95)] (96) "Student" means any person under the age of twenty-one 507
years who is attending a preprimary, primary or secondary school 508 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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program of education; 509
[(96)] (97) "Tail lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the rear of a 510
motor vehicle showing a red light to the rear and indicating the presence 511
of the motor vehicle when viewed from behind; 512
[(97)] (98) "Tank vehicle" means any commercial motor vehicle 513
designed to transport any liquid or gaseous material within a tank that 514
is either permanently or temporarily attached to the vehicle or its 515
chassis, which includes, but is not limited to, a cargo tank and portable 516
tank, as defined in 49 CFR 383.5, as amended, provided it does not 517
include a portable tank with a rated capacity not to exceed one thousand 518
gallons; 519
[(98)] (99) "Tractor" or "truck tractor" means a motor vehicle designed 520
and used for drawing a semitrailer; 521
[(99)] (100) "Tractor-trailer unit" means a combination of a tractor and 522
a trailer or a combination of a tractor and a semitrailer; 523
[(100)] (101) "Trailer" means any rubber-tired vehicle without motive 524
power drawn or propelled by a motor vehicle; 525
[(101)] (102) "Truck" means a motor vehicle designed, used or 526
maintained primarily for the transportation of property; 527
[(102)] (103) "Ultimate consumer" means, with respect to a motor 528
vehicle, the first person, other than a dealer, who in good faith purchases 529
the motor vehicle for purposes other than resale; 530
[(103)] (104) "United States" means the fifty states and the District of 531
Columbia; 532
[(104)] (105) "Used motor vehicle" includes any motor vehicle which 533
has been previously separately registered by an ultimate consumer; 534
[(105)] (106) "Utility trailer" means a trailer designed and used to 535
transport personal property, materials or equipment, whether or not 536 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer; 537
[(106)] (107) "Vanpool vehicle" includes all motor vehicles, the 538
primary purpose of which is the daily transportation, on a prearranged 539
nonprofit basis, of individuals between home and work, and which: (A) 540
If owned by or leased to a person, or to an employee of the person, or to 541
an employee of a local, state or federal government unit or agency 542
located in Connecticut, are manufactured and equipped in such manner 543
as to provide a seating capacity of at least seven but not more than 544
fifteen individuals, or (B) if owned by or leased to a regional ride-545
sharing organization in the state recognized by the Commissioner of 546
Transportation, are manufactured and equipped in such manner as to 547
provide a seating capacity of at least six but not more than nineteen 548
individuals; 549
[(107)] (108) "Vehicle" includes any device suitable for the 550
conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property, 551
whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other 552
means. The term does not include devices propelled or drawn by human 553
power or devices used exclusively on tracks; 554
[(108)] (109) "Vehicle identification number" or "VIN" means a series 555
of Arabic numbers and Roman letters that is assigned to each new motor 556
vehicle that is manufactured within or imported into the United States, 557
in accordance with the provisions of 49 CFR 565, unless another 558
sequence of numbers and letters has been assigned to a motor vehicle 559
by the commissioner, in accordance with the provisions of section 14-560
149; 561
[(109)] (110) "Wrecker" means a vehicle which is registered, designed, 562
equipped and used for the purposes of towing or transporting wrecked 563
or disabled motor vehicles for compensation or for related purposes by 564
a person, firm or corporation licensed in accordance with the provisions 565
of subpart (D) of part III of this chapter or a vehicle contracted for the 566
consensual towing or transporting of one or more motor vehicles to or 567
from a place of sale, purchase, salvage or repair. 568 Substitute Bill No. 5204
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Sec. 4. Subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 14-390f of the 569
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 570
thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 571
(1) "All-terrain vehicle" means any three or more wheeled motorized 572
vehicle, generally characterized by large, low-pressure tires, a seat 573
designed to be straddled by the operator and handlebars for steering, 574
which is intended for off-road use by an individual rider on various 575
types of nonpaved terrain. [Such vehicles do] "All-terrain vehicle" does 576
not include trail bikes, golf carts, agricultural tractors, farm implements, 577
[and] construction machines and low-speed vehicles; 578
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 14-12(f)
Sec. 3 October 1, 2024 14-1
Sec. 4 October 1, 2024 14-390f(a)(1)
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(a), "otherwise" was inserted for clarity; and in Section 2,
section 14-12 was amended in lieu of section 14-169 for consistency with
standard drafting conventions and "in an attempt" was added for
clarity.
TRA Joint Favorable Subst.