Connecticut Driving Record
Connecticut Seat Belt Laws
It is important that you and your passengers use seat belts. Studies have shown that if you are in an accident while using seat belts, your chances of being hurt or killed are greatly reduced. In Connecticut, it is illegal to drive or to be a front-seat passenger without wearing a safety belt.
Drivers 16 and 17 years old and each of their passengers are required to wear a seat belt. If either the driver or the passenger fails to wear the seat belt, each could be cited for a seat belt violation and fined $75.
If your vehicle has a two-part seat belt system, be sure to wear both the lap belt and the shoulder belt. Wearing either part alone greatly reduces your protection. If you have an automatic shoulder belt, be sure to buckle your lap belt as well. Otherwise, you could slide out of the belt and be hurt or killed in a collision.
Connecticut Insurance Laws
Connecticut law requires continuous insurance coverage on any registered vehicle. If you (or the vehicle owner) fail to maintain insurance, the insurance company will send a report of cancellation to the DMV. You will be notified by the DMV of the violation. This notice offers the registered owner the opportunity to enter into an Insurance Compliance agreement, show proof of insurance and pay the insurance compliance fine. By doing so, no further action will be taken against the registered owner as
long as insurance coverage on the vehicle is continually maintained while the vehicle is registered in the owner's name. Failure to respond to your warning notice will result in suspension of the registration. A vehicle cannot be operated legally on any public
highway without registration.
Connecticut Drunk Driving Laws
Connecticut law provides strict penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol. Penalties are imposed by the courts and by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. If you are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, you will be asked to submit to a blood, breath or urine test, which shows your blood alcohol content (BAC). If you fail this test, your operator's license will be suspended for at least 90 days, possibly more, depending on the number of DUI (Driving Under the Influence of alcohol) offenses on your driving record and your BAC and your age. If you refuse to take a test, your operator's license will be suspended for at least six months or possibly more, depending on the number of prior offenses on your driving record and on your age. These penalties, imposed by the Commissioner under the law known as Administrative Per Se, are in addition to any penalties imposed by the court if, as a result of your arrest, you are convicted of DUI.
Speed Limits
You must comply with speed limits. They are based on the design of the road and the types of vehicles that use them. They take into account things you cannot see, such as side roads and driveways where people may pull out suddenly and the amount of traffic on that road.
Remember, speed limits are posted for ideal conditions. If the road is wet or icy, if you cannot see well, or if traffic is heavy, you must slow down. Even if you are driving the posted speed limit, you can get a ticket for traveling too fast for road conditions.
Connecticut Driver License Points
| Points | Type of Violation |
|---|
| 1 | Operating at unreasonable rate of speed |
| 1 | Speeding |
| 1 | Failure to drive in the proper lane |
| 1 | Illegal use of limited access highway by a bus, commercial vehicle, or vehicle with a trailer |
| 1 | Improper operation on multiple-lane highways |
| 1 | Improper operation on a divided highway |
| 1 | Wrong direction at rotary or one-way street |
| 1 | Improper turn, illegal turn, illegal stopping, or failure to signal intention to turn |
| 1 | Improper backing or starting |
| 1 | Failure to give proper signal |
| 1 | Operation of motorcycles abreast, illegal passing |
| 1 | Wrong way on a one-way street |
| 2 | Slow speed, impeding traffic |
| 2 | Disobeying orders of an officer |
| 2 | Entering or leaving a controlled access highway at other than designated entrance or exit |
| 2 | Entry upon a limited access highway at a point other than a highway intersection or designated location |
| 2 | Executing a turn from the wrong lane or contrary to traffic control devices |
| 2 | Failure to obey the signal at a railroad crossing |
| 2 | Failure by a school bus, commercial motor vehicle carrying flammable or explosive substance, taxicab, motor vehicle in livery service, motor bus, or a motor vehicle used for the transportation of school children to stop at a railroad crossing |
| 2 | Failure to observe parkway or expressway restrictions |
| 2 | Failure to obey traffic control signal light |
| 2 | Failure to obey stop sign |
| 2 | Failure to obey yield sign |
| 2 | Operating a vehicle through a pedestrian safety zone |
| 3 | Driving while impaired |
| 3 | Failure to keep right when meeting opposing traffic |
| 3 | Improper passing or failure to yield to a passing vehicle |
| 3 | Passing on the right |
| 3 | Passing in a no passing zone |
| 3 | Failure to keep to the right on a curve, grade, or when approaching an intersection |
| 3 | Failure to drive at a reasonable distance apart from other vehicles |
| 3 | Failure to grant the right of way at an intersection |
| 3 | Failure to grant the right of way at a junction of highways |
| 3 | Failure to yield when emerging from a driveway or private road |
| 3 | Failure to grant the right of way when emerging from an alley, driveway, or building |
| 3 | Failure to grant the right of way to an ambulance, police, or fire apparatus |
| 3 | Failure to grant the right of way to a pedestrian |
| 4 | Wagering, speed record |
| 4 | Failure to drive at a reasonable distance apart from another vehicle or intent to harass |
| 4 | Passing a stopped school bus |
| 5 | Operation of a school bus at excessive speed |
| 5 | Negligent homicide with a motor vehicle |
Additional Connecticut Resources
Connecticut County Coverage
Connecticut City Coverage
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