Sec. 14-1. Definitions.
Sec. 14-1. Definitions. Terms used in this chapter shall be construed as follows,
unless another construction is clearly apparent from the language or context in which
the term is used or unless the construction is inconsistent with the manifest intention of
the General Assembly:
(1) "Activity vehicle" means a student transportation vehicle that is used to transport
students in connection with school-sponsored events and activities, but is not used to
transport students to and from school;
(2) "Agricultural tractor" means a tractor or other form of nonmuscular motive
power used for transporting, hauling, plowing, cultivating, planting, harvesting, reaping
or other agricultural purposes on any farm or other private property, or used for the
purpose of transporting, from one farm to another, agricultural implements and farm
products, provided the agricultural tractor is not used on any highway for transporting
a pay load or for some other commercial purpose;
(3) "Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle twenty
years old or older which is being preserved because of historic interest and which is not
altered or modified from the original manufacturer's specifications;
(4) "Apparent candle power" means an illumination equal to the normal illumination in foot candles produced by any lamp or lamps, divided by the square of the distance
in feet between the lamp or lamps and the point at which the measurement is made;
(5) "Authorized emergency vehicle" means (A) a fire department vehicle, (B) a
police vehicle, or (C) a public service company or municipal department ambulance or
emergency vehicle designated or authorized for use as an authorized emergency vehicle
by the commissioner;
(6) "Auxiliary driving lamp" means an additional lighting device on a motor vehicle
used primarily to supplement the general illumination in front of a motor vehicle provided by the motor vehicle's head lamps;
(7) "Bulb" means a light source consisting of a glass bulb containing a filament or
substance capable of being electrically maintained at incandescence;
(8) "Camp trailer" includes any trailer designed for living or sleeping purposes and
used exclusively for camping or recreational purposes;
(9) "Camp trailer registration" means the type of registration issued to any trailer
that is for nonbusiness use and is limited to camp trailers and utility trailers;
(10) "Camp vehicle" means any motor vehicle that is regularly used to transport
persons under eighteen years of age in connection with the activities of any youth camp,
as defined in section 19a-420;
(11) "Camper" means any motor vehicle designed or permanently altered in such a
way as to provide temporary living quarters for travel, camping or recreational purposes;
(12) "Combination registration" means the type of registration issued to a motor
vehicle used for both private passenger and commercial purposes if such vehicle does
not have a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of twelve thousand five hundred pounds;
(13) "Commercial driver's license" or "CDL" means a license issued to an individual in accordance with the provisions of sections 14-44a to 14-44m, inclusive, which
authorizes such individual to drive a commercial motor vehicle;
(14) "Commercial driver's license information system" or "CDLIS" means the national database of holders of commercial driver's licenses established by the Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration pursuant to Section 12007 of the Commercial
Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986;
(15) "Commercial motor vehicle" means a vehicle designed or used to transport
passengers or property, except a vehicle used for farming purposes in accordance with
49 CFR 383.3(d), fire fighting apparatus or an emergency vehicle, as defined in section
14-283, or a recreational vehicle in private use, which (A) has a gross vehicle weight
rating of twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, or a gross combination weight
rating of twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, inclusive of a towed unit or units
with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than ten thousand pounds; (B) is designed
to transport sixteen or more passengers, including the driver, or is designed to transport
more than ten passengers, including the driver, and is used to transport students under
the age of twenty-one years to and from school; or (C) is transporting hazardous materials
and is required to be placarded in accordance with 49 CFR 172, Subpart F, as amended,
or any quantity of a material listed as a select agent or toxin in 42 CFR Part 73;
(16) "Commercial registration" means the type of registration required for any motor vehicle designed or used to transport merchandise, freight or persons in connection
with any business enterprise, unless a more specific type of registration is authorized
and issued by the commissioner for such class of vehicle;
(17) "Commercial trailer" means a trailer used in the conduct of a business to transport freight, materials or equipment whether or not permanently affixed to the bed of
the trailer;
(18) "Commercial trailer registration" means the type of registration issued to any
commercial trailer;
(19) "Commissioner" includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is designated and authorized by, and
who is acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation; except that
the deputy commissioners of motor vehicles and the Attorney General are deemed,
unless the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles otherwise provides, to be designated and
authorized by, and acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation;
(20) "Controlled substance" has the same meaning as in section 21a-240 and the
federal laws and regulations incorporated in chapter 420b;
(21) "Conviction" means an unvacated adjudication of guilt, or a determination that
a person has violated or failed to comply with the law in a court of original jurisdiction
or an authorized administrative tribunal, an unvacated forfeiture of bail or collateral
deposited to secure the person's appearance in court, the payment of a fine or court cost,
or violation of a condition of release without bail, regardless of whether or not the penalty
is rebated, suspended or probated;
(22) "Dealer" includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling or exchanging
motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of business in this state and who
may, incidental to such business, repair motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be
repaired by persons in his or her employ;
(23) "Disqualification" means a withdrawal of the privilege to drive a commercial
motor vehicle, which occurs as a result of (A) any suspension, revocation, or cancellation
by the commissioner of the privilege to operate a motor vehicle; (B) a determination
by the Federal Highway Administration, under the rules of practice for motor carrier
safety contained in 49 CFR 386, as amended, that a person is no longer qualified to
operate a commercial motor vehicle under the standards of 49 CFR 391, as amended;
or (C) the loss of qualification which follows any of the convictions or administrative
actions specified in section 14-44k;
(24) "Drive" means to drive, operate or be in physical control of a motor vehicle,
including a motor vehicle being towed by another;
(25) "Driver" means any person who drives, operates or is in physical control of a
commercial motor vehicle, or who is required to hold a commercial driver's license;
(26) "Driver's license" or "operator's license" means a valid Connecticut motor
vehicle operator's license or a license issued by another state or foreign jurisdiction
authorizing the holder thereof to operate a motor vehicle on the highways;
(27) "Employee" means any operator of a commercial motor vehicle, including
full-time, regularly employed drivers, casual, intermittent or occasional drivers, drivers
under contract and independent owner-operator contractors, who, while in the course
of operating a commercial motor vehicle, are either directly employed by, or are under
contract to, an employer;
(28) "Employer" means any person, including the United States, a state or any political subdivision thereof, who owns or leases a commercial motor vehicle, or assigns a
person to drive a commercial motor vehicle;
(29) "Farm implement" means a vehicle designed and adapted exclusively for agricultural, horticultural or livestock-raising operations and which is not operated on a
highway for transporting a pay load or for any other commercial purpose;
(30) "Felony" means any offense as defined in section 53a-25 and includes any
offense designated as a felony under federal law;
(31) "Fatality" means the death of a person as a result of a motor vehicle accident;
(32) "Foreign jurisdiction" means any jurisdiction other than a state of the United
States;
(33) "Fuels" means (A) all products commonly or commercially known or sold as
gasoline, including casinghead and absorption or natural gasoline, regardless of their
classification or uses, (B) any liquid prepared, advertised, offered for sale or sold for
use, or commonly and commercially used, as a fuel in internal combustion engines,
which, when subjected to distillation in accordance with the standard method of test for
distillation of gasoline, naphtha, kerosene and similar petroleum products by "American
Society for Testing Materials Method D-86", shows not less than ten per cent distilled
(recovered) below 347° Fahrenheit (175° Centigrade) and not less than ninety-five per
cent distilled (recovered) below 464° Fahrenheit (240° Centigrade); provided the term
"fuels" shall not include commercial solvents or naphthas which distill, by "American
Society for Testing Materials Method D-86", not more than nine per cent at 176° Fahrenheit and which have a distillation range of 150° Fahrenheit, or less, or liquefied gases
which would not exist as liquids at a temperature of 60° Fahrenheit and a pressure of
14.7 pounds per square inch absolute, and (C) any liquid commonly referred to as "gasohol" which is prepared, advertised, offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and
commercially used, as a fuel in internal combustion engines, consisting of a blend of
gasoline and a minimum of ten per cent by volume of ethyl or methyl alcohol;
(34) "Garage" includes every place of business where motor vehicles are, for compensation, received for housing, storage or repair;
(35) "Gross vehicle weight rating" or "GVWR" means the value specified by the
manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a single or a combination (articulated)
vehicle. The GVWR of a combination (articulated) vehicle commonly referred to as the
"gross combination weight rating" or GCWR is the GVWR of the power unit plus the
GVWR of the towed unit or units;
(36) "Gross weight" means the light weight of a vehicle plus the weight of any load
on the vehicle, provided, in the case of a tractor-trailer unit, "gross weight" means the
light weight of the tractor plus the light weight of the trailer or semitrailer plus the weight
of the load on the vehicle;
(37) "Hazardous materials" has the same meaning as in 49 CFR 383.5;
(38) "Head lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the front of a motor vehicle
projecting a high intensity beam which lights the road in front of the vehicle so that it
can proceed safely during the hours of darkness;
(39) "High-mileage vehicle" means a motor vehicle having the following characteristics: (A) Not less than three wheels in contact with the ground; (B) a completely
enclosed seat on which the driver sits; (C) a single or two cylinder, gasoline or diesel
engine or an electric-powered engine; and (D) efficient fuel consumption;
(40) "Highway" includes any state or other public highway, road, street, avenue,
alley, driveway, parkway or place, under the control of the state or any political subdivision of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to public travel or other use;
(41) "Imminent hazard" means the existence of a condition that presents a substantial likelihood that death, serious illness, severe personal injury or a substantial endangerment to health, property, or the environment may occur before the reasonably foreseeable completion date of a formal proceeding begun to lessen the risk of that death, illness,
injury or endangerment;
(42) "Intersecting highway" includes any public highway which joins another at an
angle whether or not it crosses the other;
(43) "Light weight" means the weight of an unloaded motor vehicle as ordinarily
equipped and ready for use, exclusive of the weight of the operator of the motor vehicle;
(44) "Limited access highway" means a state highway so designated under the provisions of section 13b-27;
(45) "Local authorities" includes the board of aldermen, common council, chief of
police, warden and burgesses, board of selectmen or other officials having authority for
the enactment or enforcement of traffic regulations within their respective towns, cities
or boroughs;
(46) "Maintenance vehicle" means any vehicle in use by the state or by any town,
city, borough or district, any state bridge or parkway authority or any public service
company, as defined in section 16-1, in the maintenance of public highways or bridges
and facilities located within the limits of public highways or bridges;
(47) "Manufacturer" means (A) a person, whether a resident or nonresident, engaged in the business of constructing or assembling new motor vehicles of a type required
to be registered by the commissioner, for operation upon any highway, except a utility
trailer, which are offered for sale in this state, or (B) a person who distributes new motor
vehicles to new car dealers licensed in this state;
(48) "Median divider" means an intervening space or physical barrier or clearly
indicated dividing section separating traffic lanes provided for vehicles proceeding in
opposite directions;
(49) "Modified antique motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle twenty years old or
older which has been modified for safe road use, including, but not limited to, modifications to the drive train, suspension, braking system and safety or comfort apparatus;
(50) "Motor bus" includes any motor vehicle, except a taxicab, as defined in section
13b-95, operated in whole or in part on any street or highway in a manner affording a
means of transportation by indiscriminately receiving or discharging passengers, or
running on a regular route or over any portion of a regular route or between fixed termini;
(51) "Motor home" means a vehicular unit designed to provide living quarters and
necessary amenities which are built into an integral part of, or permanently attached to,
a truck or van chassis;
(52) "Motor-driven cycle" means any motorcycle, motor scooter, or bicycle with
attached motor with a seat height of not less than twenty-six inches and a motor that
produces five brake horsepower or less;
(53) "Motor vehicle" means any vehicle propelled or drawn by any nonmuscular
power, except aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage trucks used about railroad
stations or other mass transit facilities, electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by physically handicapped persons at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour,
golf carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one part of the
golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on roads or highways on the
grounds of state institutions by state employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements,
such vehicles as run only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers
and lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were designed and operated
at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, whether or not the operator rides on or
walks behind such equipment, bicycles with helper motors as defined in section 14-286, special mobile equipment as defined in subsection (i) of section 14-165, mini-motorcycles, as defined in section 14-289j, and any other vehicle not suitable for operation on a highway;
(54) "Motorcycle" means a motor vehicle, with or without a side car, having not
more than three wheels in contact with the ground and a saddle or seat on which the
rider sits or a platform on which the rider stands, but does not include a motor-driven
cycle, as defined in this section, or a vehicle having or designed to have a completely
enclosed driver's seat and a motor which is not in the enclosed area;
(55) "National Driver Registry" or "NDR" means the licensing information system
and database operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and established pursuant to the National Driver Registry Act of 1982, as amended;
(56) "New motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle, the equitable or legal title to
which has never been transferred by a manufacturer, distributor or dealer to an ultimate
consumer;
(57) "Nonresident" means any person whose legal residence is in a state other than
Connecticut or in a foreign country;
(58) "Nonresident commercial driver's license" or "nonresident CDL" means a
commercial driver's license issued by a state to an individual who resides in a foreign
jurisdiction;
(59) "Nonskid device" means any device applied to the tires, wheels, axles or frame
of a motor vehicle for the purpose of increasing the traction of the motor vehicle;
(60) "Number plate" means any sign or marker furnished by the commissioner on
which is displayed the registration number assigned to a motor vehicle by the commissioner;
(61) "Officer" includes any constable, state marshal, inspector of motor vehicles,
state policeman or other official authorized to make arrests or to serve process, provided
the officer is in uniform or displays the officer's badge of office in a conspicuous place
when making an arrest;
(62) "Operator" means any person who operates a motor vehicle or who steers or
directs the course of a motor vehicle being towed by another motor vehicle and includes
a driver as defined in subdivision (25) of this section;
(63) "Out-of-service order" means a temporary prohibition against driving a commercial motor vehicle or any other vehicle subject to the federal motor carrier safety
regulations enforced by the commissioner pursuant to the commissioner's authority
under section 14-8;
(64) "Owner" means any person holding title to a motor vehicle, or having the legal
right to register the same, including purchasers under conditional bills of sale;
(65) "Parked vehicle" means a motor vehicle in a stationary position within the
limits of a public highway;
(66) "Passenger and commercial motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for
private passenger and commercial purposes which is eligible for combination registration;
(67) "Passenger motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for the private transportation of persons and their personal belongings, designed to carry occupants in comfort
and safety, with a capacity of carrying not more than ten passengers including the operator thereof;
(68) "Passenger registration" means the type of registration issued to a passenger
motor vehicle unless a more specific type of registration is authorized and issued by the
commissioner for such class of vehicle;
(69) "Person" includes any individual, corporation, limited liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business trust or other aggregation of individuals
but does not include the state or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context
clearly states or requires;
(70) "Pick-up truck" means a motor vehicle with an enclosed forward passenger
compartment and an open rearward compartment used for the transportation of property;
(71) "Pneumatic tires" means tires inflated or inflatable with air;
(72) "Pole trailer" means a trailer which is (A) intended for transporting long or
irregularly shaped loads such as poles, logs, pipes or structural members, which loads
are capable of sustaining themselves as beams between supporting connections, and (B)
designed to be drawn by a motor vehicle and attached or secured directly to the motor
vehicle by any means including a reach, pole or boom;
(73) "Recreational vehicle" includes the camper, camp trailer and motor home
classes of vehicles;
(74) "Registration" includes the certificate of motor vehicle registration and the
number plate or plates used in connection with such registration;
(75) "Registration number" means the identifying number or letters, or both, assigned by the commissioner to a motor vehicle;
(76) "Resident", for the purpose of registering motor vehicles, includes any person
who is a legal resident of this state, as the commissioner may presume from the fact that
such person occupies a place of dwelling in this state for more than six months in a year,
or any person, firm or corporation owning or leasing a motor vehicle used or operated
in intrastate business in this state, or a firm or corporation having its principal office or
place of business in this state;
(77) "School bus" means any school bus, as defined in section 14-275, including a
commercial motor vehicle used to transport preschool, elementary school or secondary
school students from home to school, from school to home, or to and from school-sponsored events, but does not include a bus used as a common carrier;
(78) "Second" violation or "subsequent" violation means an offense committed not
more than three years after the date of an arrest which resulted in a previous conviction
for a violation of the same statutory provision, except in the case of a violation of section
14-215 or 14-224 or subsection (a) of section 14-227a, "second" violation or "subsequent" violation means an offense committed not more than ten years after the date of
an arrest which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same statutory
provision;
(79) "Semitrailer" means any trailer type vehicle designed and used in conjunction
with a motor vehicle so that some part of its own weight and load rests on or is carried
by another vehicle;
(80) "Serious traffic violation" means a conviction of any of the following offenses:
(A) Speeding in excess of fifteen miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit,
in violation of section 14-218a or 14-219; (B) reckless driving in violation of section 14-222; (C) following too closely in violation of section 14-240 or 14-240a; (D) improper or
erratic lane changes, in violation of section 14-236; (E) driving a commercial motor
vehicle without a valid commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-36a or
14-44a; (F) failure to carry a commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-44a;
(G) failure to have the proper class of license or endorsement, or violation of a license
restriction in violation of section 14-44a; or (H) arising in connection with an accident
related to the operation of a commercial motor vehicle and which resulted in a fatality;
(81) "Service bus" includes any vehicle except a vanpool vehicle or a school bus
designed and regularly used to carry ten or more passengers when used in private service
for the transportation of persons without charge to the individual;
(82) "Service car" means any motor vehicle used by a manufacturer, dealer or repairer for emergency motor vehicle repairs on the highways of this state, for towing or
for the transportation of necessary persons, tools and materials to and from the scene
of such emergency repairs or towing;
(83) "Shoulder" means that portion of a highway immediately adjacent and contiguous to the travel lanes or main traveled portion of the roadway;
(84) "Solid tires" means tires of rubber, or other elastic material approved by the
Commissioner of Transportation, which do not depend on confined air for the support
of the load;
(85) "Spot lamp" or "spot light" means a lighting device projecting a high intensity
beam, the direction of which can be readily controlled for special or emergency lighting
as distinguished from ordinary road illumination;
(86) "State" means any state of the United States and the District of Columbia unless
the context indicates a more specific reference to the state of Connecticut;
(87) "Stop" means complete cessation of movement;
(88) "Student" means any person under the age of twenty-one years who is attending
a preprimary, primary or secondary school program of education;
(89) "Tail lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the rear of a motor vehicle
showing a red light to the rear and indicating the presence of the motor vehicle when
viewed from behind;
(90) "Tank vehicle" means any commercial motor vehicle designed to transport
any liquid or gaseous material within a tank that is either permanently or temporarily
attached to the vehicle or its chassis which shall include, but not be limited to, a cargo
tank and portable tank, as defined in 49 CFR 383.5, as amended, provided it shall not
include a portable tank with a rated capacity not to exceed one thousand gallons;
(91) "Tractor" or "truck tractor" means a motor vehicle designed and used for drawing a semitrailer;
(92) "Tractor-trailer unit" means a combination of a tractor and a trailer or a combination of a tractor and a semitrailer;
(93) "Trailer" means any rubber-tired vehicle without motive power drawn or propelled by a motor vehicle;
(94) "Truck" means a motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the
transportation of property;
(95) "Ultimate consumer" means, with respect to a motor vehicle, the first person,
other than a dealer, who in good faith purchases the motor vehicle for purposes other
than resale;
(96) "United States" means the fifty states and the District of Columbia;
(97) "Used motor vehicle" includes any motor vehicle which has been previously
separately registered by an ultimate consumer;
(98) "Utility trailer" means a trailer designed and used to transport personal property, materials or equipment, whether or not permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer,
with a manufacturer's GVWR of ten thousand pounds or less;
(99) "Vanpool vehicle" includes all motor vehicles, the primary purpose of which
is the daily transportation, on a prearranged nonprofit basis, of individuals between
home and work, and which: (A) If owned by or leased to a person, or to an employee
of the person, or to an employee of a local, state or federal government unit or agency
located in Connecticut, are manufactured and equipped in such manner as to provide a
seating capacity of at least seven but not more than fifteen individuals, or (B) if owned
by or leased to a regional ride-sharing organization in the state recognized by the Commissioner of Transportation, are manufactured and equipped in such manner as to provide a seating capacity of at least six but not more than nineteen individuals;
(100) "Vehicle" includes any device suitable for the conveyance, drawing or other
transportation of persons or property, whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion
of air or by any other means. The term does not include devices propelled or drawn by
human power or devices used exclusively on tracks;
(101) "Vehicle identification number" or "VIN" means a series of Arabic numbers
and Roman letters that is assigned to each new motor vehicle that is manufactured within
or imported into the United States, in accordance with the provisions of 49 CFR 565,
unless another sequence of numbers and letters has been assigned to a motor vehicle
by the commissioner, in accordance with the provisions of section 14-149;
(102) "Wrecker" means a vehicle which is registered, designed, equipped and used
for the purposes of towing or transporting wrecked or disabled motor vehicles for compensation or for related purposes by a person, firm or corporation licensed in accordance
with the provisions of subpart (D) of part III of this chapter or a vehicle contracted for
the consensual towing or transporting of one or more motor vehicles to or from a place
of sale, purchase, salvage or repair.
(1949 Rev., S. 2350; 1953, S. 1278d, 1281d; 1955, S. 1279d, 1280d; 1959, P.A. 162; 283, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 233, S. 10;
1963, P.A. 560; February, 1965, P.A. 414, S. 1; 448, S. 1, 2, 3; 1967, P.A. 454, S. 1; 799; 821; 1969, P.A. 189; 569, S. 1;
1971, P.A. 355, S. 1, 2; 416, S. 2; 629; 740, S. 1; 848, S. 1, 2; 1972, P.A. 255, S. 1; P.A. 73-676, S. 1; P.A. 75-253, S. 1,
2; P.A. 76-250, S. 2, 3, 4; P.A. 77-67; P.A. 79-25, S. 1; 79-175, S. 2, 3; 79-244, S. 1, 5, 6; 79-627, S. 5, 6; P.A. 80-466, S.
2, 25; P.A. 81-394, S. 1; P.A. 82-460, S. 1, 2, 9; 82-472, S. 39, 183; P.A. 83-224, S. 1, 2; 83-278; 83-431, S. 2; 83-587, S.
67, 96; P.A. 84-429, S. 1; 84-546, S. 37, 173; P.A. 86-383, S. 1, 6; P.A. 88-245, S. 1, 7; P.A. 90-263, S. 1, 74; P.A. 91-272, S. 5, 8; P.A. 93-341, S. 1, 38; P.A. 95-79, S. 39, 189; 95-314, S. 4; P.A. 97-236, S. 23, 27; P.A. 99-268, S. 1, 2, 29;
P.A. 00-35, S. 1; 00-99, S. 44, 154; 00-169, S. 22, 35; P.A. 02-70, S. 1, 17; P.A. 03-265, S. 5; P.A. 04-199, S. 7; 04-217,
S. 1; P.A. 05-218, S. 2, 3, 15, 16, 42, 43; P.A. 06-130, S. 15; P.A. 07-167, S. 1-3, 38; P.A. 08-150, S. 1.)
History: 1959 acts added Subsecs. (21) and (51); 1961 act redefined "used or secondhand motor vehicle" in and added
definitions of "new motor vehicle" and "ultimate consumer" to Subsec. (55); 1963 act redefined "second" or "subsequent"
violation in Subsec. (44); 1965 acts added snow and lawn machines to Subsec. (26), "driver" to Subsec. (32) and Subsecs.
(6), (14), (23), (39), (48) and (54); 1967 acts added Subsecs. (57) and (58) defining "tractor" or "truck tractor" and "wrecker"
or "wrecker vehicle" and redefined "resident" in Subsec. (42) to delete persons carrying on business or engaged in occupation for more than six months a year; 1969 acts redefined "motor vehicle" in Subsec. (26) to exclude golf carts and added
Subsec. (59) defining "farm implements"; 1971 acts redefined "gross weight" in Subsec. (14) to include special provision
re tractor-trailer units, redefined "officer" in Subsec. (31) to include sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, redefined "manufacturer"
in Subsec. (22), redefined "vehicle" in Subsec. (56) to include vehicles operated on cushions of air and to delete requirement
that machine be suitable for use on highways and added Subsecs. (60) and (61) defining "tractor-trailer unit" and "limited
access highway"; 1972 act redefined "manufacturer" in Subsec. (22) to include distributor of vehicles to new car dealers;
P.A. 73-676 added Subsec. (62) defining "minibike" or "minicycle"; P.A. 75-253 redefined "motorcycle" to exclude
vehicles with wholly or partially enclosed drivers' seat with motor outside enclosed area; P.A. 76-250 excluded bicycles
with helper motors in Subsecs. (25) defining "motorcycle" and Subsec. (26) defining "motor vehicle"; P.A. 77-67 redefined
"motor vehicles" in Subsec. (26) to delete requirement that vehicle be suitable for operation on a highway, to exclude
vehicles used at mass transit facilities other than railroads and vehicles not suitable for operation on highway; P.A. 79-25
added Subsecs. (63) and (64) defining "antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle" and "modified antique motor vehicle";
P.A. 79-175 added Subsec. (65) defining "vanpool vehicle"; P.A. 79-244 also added Subsec. (65) re vanpool vehicles and
excluded vanpool vehicles from definitions of "public service motor vehicle" and "service bus" in Subsecs. (40) and (46);
P.A. 79-627 included gasohol in Subsec. (12) defining "fuels", effective July 1, 1979, and applicable to fuel sold on or
after that date; P.A. 80-466 amended definition of "motor vehicle registration" in Subsec. (27) to reflect use of single
license plate; P.A. 81-394 added Subdiv. (66) defining "high-mileage vehicle"; P.A. 82-460 redefined "passenger motor
vehicle" to specify applicability to vehicles capable of carrying not more than ten passengers, redefined "commercial
motor vehicle", deleting limitations re use in business of registrant and propulsion method and redefined "passenger and
commercial motor vehicle", deleting requirement that vehicles be "designed for use" for passenger and commercial purposes; P.A. 82-472 made technical corrections in definition of "high-mileage vehicle"; P.A. 83-224 amended Subdiv. (26)
to exclude from the definition of a motor vehicle, golf cart type vehicles operated by state employees on state institution
grounds; P.A. 83-278 amended Subdiv. (65) to include in definition of "vanpool vehicle" certain vehicles owned by or
leased to recognized regional ride-sharing organizations; P.A. 83-431 amended Subdiv. (26) to exclude from the definition
of a motor vehicle, special mobile equipment as defined in Sec. 14-165 (i); P.A. 83-587 made technical change in Subdiv.
(12); P.A. 84-429 deleted the definition of "curb" in Subsec. (9), "distributor" in Subsec. (11), "head light" in Subsec.
(15), "intersection" in Subsec. (18), "motor vehicle registration" in Subsec. (27), "rotary traffic island" in Subsec. (43),
"secondhand motor vehicle" in Subsec. (55) and "wrecker vehicle" in Subsec. (58), transferred definition of "head lamp"
from Subsec. (15) to (16), "registration" from Subsec. (27) to (45), "used motor vehicle" from Subsec. (55) to (62), "new
motor vehicle" from Subsec. (55) to (31), "ultimate consumer" from Subsec. (55) to (61) and "wrecker" from Subsec. (58)
to (65), added Subsec. (4) from Sec. 14-1a, renumbered the remaining Subsecs. as follows: (2) to (3), (3) to (5), (4) to (6),
(5) to (7), (6) to (8), (7) to (9), (8) to (10), (10) to (11), (12) to (13), (13) to (14), (14) to (15), (16) to (18), (17) to (19),
(19) to (20), (20) to (22), (21) to (23), (22) to (24), (23) to (25), (24) to (28), (25) to (29), (26) to (30), (28) to (32), (29) to
(33), (30) to (34), (31) to (35), (32) to (36), (33) to (37), (34) to (38), (35) to (40), (36) to (39), (37) to (41), (38) to (42),
(39) to (43), (40) to (44), (41) to (46), (42) to (47), (44) to (48), (45) to (49), (46) to (50), (47) to (51), (48) to (52), (49) to
(53), (50) to (54), (51) to (55), (52) to (56), (53) to (59), (54) to (60), (56) to (64), (59) to (12), (60) to (58), (61) to (21),
(62) to (2), (63) to (27), (64) to (63) and (66) to (17), and rephrased renumbered Subsec. (10) re definition of "commissioner";
P.A. 84-546 redefined "commissioner" to include deputy commissioner of motor vehicles, attorney general and any assistant
to motor vehicles commissioner, but did not take effect, P.A. 84-429 having taken precedence; P.A. 86-383 redefined
"commercial motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (9) to include vehicles transporting other passengers with their necessary personal
belongings; P.A. 88-245 made technical change to definition of "commissioner" in Subsec. (10); P.A. 90-263 subdivided
the section into Subsecs. (a) and (b), in Subsec (a) amending Subdiv. (7) to substitute recreational for pleasure purposes
and to delete phrase "used for the purpose of transporting personal property of the owner", amending Subdiv. (8) to redefine
"camper" as any motor vehicle designed or permanently altered in such a way as to provide temporary living quarters for
travel, camping or recreational purposes, amending Subdiv. (9) to delete definition of "commercial motor vehicle" and
insert definition of "combination registration", adding new definitions of "commercial driver's license" in Subdiv. (10),
"commercial motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (11), "commercial registration" in Subdiv. (12), "commercial trailer" in Subdiv.
(13), "controlled substance" in Subdiv. (15), "conviction" in Subdiv. (16), "disqualification" in Subdiv. (18), "drive" in
Subdiv. (19), "driver" in Subdiv. (20), "driver's license" in Subdiv. (21), "employee" in Subdiv. (22), "employer" in
Subdiv. (23), "felony" in Subdiv. (25), "foreign jurisdiction" in Subdiv. (26), "gross weight rating" in Subdiv. (29), "hazardous materials" in Subdiv. (31), "motor home" in Subdiv. (45), "nonresident commercial driver's license" in Subdiv. (50),
"out-of-service order" in Subdiv. (55), "passenger registration" in Subdiv. (60), "recreational vehicle" in Subdiv. (64),
"serious traffic violation" in Subdiv. (70), "state" in Subdiv. (76), "tank vehicle" in Subdiv. (79), "United States" in Subdiv.
(85), and "utility trailer" in Subdiv. (87) and renumbering the other Subdivs. accordingly, amending definition of "motor
bus" in Subdiv. (44), formerly Subdiv. (28), to include any motor vehicle, except a taxicab, deleting reference to public
service motor vehicle, amending definition of "operator" in Subdiv. (54), formerly Subdiv. (36), to include a driver,
amending definition of "passenger and commercial motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (58), formerly Subdiv. (39), to include
vehicles eligible for combination registration, amending definition of "passenger motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (59), formerly
Subdiv. (40), to delete former provisions and insert new provisions concerning use, design and capacity, amending definition
of "person" in Subdiv. (61), formerly Subdiv. (41), to specifically exclude the state or any political subdivision thereof,
amending definition of "pole trailer" in Subdiv. (63), formerly Subdiv. (43), to delete reference to commercial motor
vehicle, and deleting definition of "public service motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (44), and inserting new language in Subsec.
(b) re meaning of term "public passenger transportation permit"; P.A. 91-272 amended exception to definition of "commercial motor vehicle" in Subsec. (a)(11)(B) to include vehicles designed to transport "more than" ten passengers and used
to transport students under twenty-one to and from school; P.A. 93-341 amended definition of "commercial driver's license"
by deleting the reference to a "Class 1" license and reference to Sec. 14-36a, redefined "commercial motor vehicle" to
exclude vehicles used "within one hundred fifty miles of a farm in connection with the operation of such farm" and
recreational vehicles "in private use", redefined "serious traffic violation" to add a new Subpara. (E) re accident resulting
in death, redefined "service bus" to include "school bus" and added definition of "school bus", renumbering previously
existing Subdivs. of Subsec. (a) as necessary and made technical change in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-79 amended Subsec. (a)(61) by redefining "person" to include a limited liability company, effective May 31, 1995; P.A.
95-314 amended Subsec. (a)(69) to provide that a "second" or "subsequent" violation is one committed within "three"
years after date of arrest resulting in a previous conviction for the same offense, in lieu of five years, and to redefine term
in the case of a violation of Sec. 14-215, 14-224 or 14-227a(a); P.A. 97-236 redefined "service bus" to require that school
bus be "regularly used" to carry eight or more persons, effective June 24, 1997; P.A. 99-268 redefined "motorcycle" in
Subsec. (a)(46) to exclude a vehicle "designed to have" a completely enclosed driver's seat in lieu of a vehicle having a
completely "or partially" enclosed driver's seat, redefined "serious traffic violation" in Subsec. (a)(71) by changing from
a violation of "sections 14-230 to 14-237, inclusive" to a violation of "section 14-236" in Subpara. (D) and redefined
"service bus" in Subsec. (a)(72) to increase the minimum number of persons such vehicle may carry from "eight or more
persons" to "ten or more passengers"; P.A. 00-35 redefined "wrecker" in Subsec. (a)(91) to delete "exclusively" following
"equipped and used" and to add "by a person, firm or corporation licensed in accordance with the provisions of subdivision
(D) of part III of this chapter"; P.A. 00-99 replaced reference to sheriff and deputy sheriff in Subsec. (a)(53) with state
marshal, effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 00-169 redefined "person" in Subsec. (a)(61) to include a business trust and
revised effective date of P.A. 99-268 but without affecting this section; P.A. 02-70 amended Subsec. (a)(9) to add "rating",
substituted "place of residence" for "legal residence" and provide that such residence be occupied for more than six months
in a year in Subdiv. (67), added new Subdiv. (91) re definition of "vehicle identification number" or "VIN", redesignated
existing Subdiv. (91) as Subdiv. (92) and made technical changes in Subdivs. (4), (17), (40), (53) and (55), effective July
1, 2002, and amended Subsec. (a)(40) to add "new" and replace "under section 14-12, who offers the motor vehicles" with
"by the commissioner, for operation upon any highway, which are offered" in Subpara. (A) and to make a technical change
in Subpara. (B) (Revisor's note: The reference in Subsec. (a)(92) to "subdivision (D)" was changed editorially by the
Revisors to "subpart (D)" for clarity of reference); P.A. 03-265 redefined "passenger motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (59); P.A.
04-199 defined "pick-up truck", made technical changes and renumbered subdivs. in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2004;
P.A. 04-217 defined "activity vehicle", "commercial driver's license information system", "fatality", "imminent hazard"
and "National Driver Registry", redefined "disqualification", "school bus" and "serious traffic violation", made technical
changes and renumbered subdivs. in Subsec. (a), effective January 1, 2005; P.A. 05-218 amended Subsec. (a)(10) by
substituting "twelve thousand five hundred" for "ten thousand" and amended Subsec. (a)(67) by deleting "and having a
gross vehicle weight rating of less than ten thousand pounds" and, effective July 1, 2005, amended Subsec. (a)(3) by
changing "twenty-five" to "twenty", amended Subsec. (a)(44) by adding "except a utility trailer", amended Subsec. (a)(47)
by changing "twenty-five" to "twenty" and making a technical change, and added Subsec. (a)(99) defining "camp vehicle";
P.A. 06-130 amended Subsec. (a) by redefining "commercial motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (13), redefining "gross vehicle
weight rating" in Subdiv. (32), redefining "hazardous materials" in Subdiv. (34), deleting former Subdiv. (46) re definition
of "minibike or minicycle", renumbering Subdivs. (47) to (50) as (46) to (49), inclusive, adding "mini-motorcycle" to
definition of "motor vehicle" and renumbering it as Subdiv. (50), renumbering Subdivs. (52) to (97) as (51) to (96),
inclusive, redefining "wrecker" and renumbering it as Subdiv. (97) and renumbering Subdiv. (99) as (98), effective June
2, 2006; P.A. 07-167 made technical changes in Subsec. (a)(13), (24) and (50), effective June 25, 2007, and deleted Subsec.
(a) designator and former Subsec. (b) re definition of "public passenger transportation permit", effective July 1, 2007; P.A.
08-150 redefined "camp trailer" in Subdiv. (8), added new Subdiv. (9) defining "camp trailer registration", added new
Subdiv. (18) defining "commercial trailer registration", added new Subdiv. (52) defining "motor-driven cycle", redefined
"motorcycle" in existing Subdiv. (49) and renumbered said definition as new Subdiv. (54), redefined "resident" in existing
Subdiv. (72) and renumbered said definition as new Subdiv. (76), added new Subdiv. (88) defining "student", renumbered
existing Subdiv. (98) defining "camp vehicle" as new Subdiv. (10) and renumbered remaining Subdivs. and internal
references accordingly.
See Sec. 14-51 for definitions applicable with respect to dealers' and repairers' licenses.
See Sec. 14-68 for definitions applicable with respect to drivers' schools.
See Sec. 14-100(b) for definition of "safety glass".
"Guest" defined. 108 C. 630. Cited. 124 C. 552. Cited. 131 C. 714. Cited. 139 C. 707. Definition of "intersection"
(former Subsec. (18)) includes area embraced within prolongation of the lateral curb lines of two or more highways which
join one another at an angle whether or not one such highway crosses the other. 152 C. 219. Cited. 165 C. 422. Operation
of a motor vehicle relates to the driving or movement of the vehicle itself or a circumstance resulting from movement of
the vehicle. 180 C. 469. Cited. 189 C. 354; Id., 550. Cited. 221 C. 356. Cited. 239 C. 1.
Cited. 2 CA 523. Cited. 7 CA 575. Cited. 9 CA 686. Cited. 10 CA 18. Cited. 25 CA 492; judgment reversed, see 222
C. 744. Cited. 30 CA 263. Cited. 41 CA 664.
Cited. 36 CS 101. Cited. 41 CS 326.
Definition of "used" car not restricted to former Subsec. (55). 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 90. State is not limited to proving a
vehicle a registered school bus by a certified copy of the registration prepared by the commissioner of motor vehicles. It
could prove this element by such other evidence as it sees fit. 4 Conn. Cir. Ct. 5, 6.
Subsec. (9) (Formerly Subsec. (7)):
Cited. 203 C. 45.
Subsec. (10) (Formerly Subsec. (8)):
Cited. 168 C. 587.
Cited. 36 CS 586.
Subsec. (12):
Analysis of vehicle eligibility for commercial registration. 69 CA 482.
Subsec. (18) (Formerly Subsec. (16)):
Cited. 163 C. 369.
Cited. 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 662. Road maintained by the town qualifies as public highway within statutory definition of a
"highway". 3 Conn. Cir. Ct. 513.
Subsec. (19) (Formerly Subsec. (17)):
"Intersecting highway" defined. 101 C. 443.
Subsec. (29) (Formerly Subsec. (25)):
Cited. 171 C. 255. Cited. 203 C. 45, 56.
A motorcycle is included in the overall definition of a motor vehicle for general application of the motor vehicle statutes.
5 Conn. Cir. Ct. 219. Cited. Id., 221.
Subsec. (30) (Formerly Subsec. (26)):
Cited. 171 C. 255. An hydraulic hoist on a truck was not suitable for operation on a highway and was not a motor
vehicle. 180 C. 469. Cited. 215 C. 55.
Cited. 8 CA 125.
Policy of motor vehicle department to register fork lifts indicates they are "suitable for operation on a highway". 36
CS 101. Cited. 40 CS 156.
A standing machine affixed to and operated by the motor of a highway truck held a motor vehicle. 4 Conn. Cir. Ct. 116.
Subsec. (31) (Formerly part of Subsec. (55)):
Where court rendered judgment on a stipulation of facts that the portion of this subsection defining the phrase "ultimate
consumer" is unconstitutional, held that judgment did not include any determination of validity of statute as it remained
after the definition was held invalid and the judgment was clearly inadequate in that it did not conform to the pleadings,
issues and prayers for relief. 152 C. 648.
Subsec. (32) (Formerly Subsec. (28)):
"Nonresident" defined. 107 C. 140.
Subsec. (34) (Formerly Subsec. (18)):
Cited. 30 CA 108.
Subsec. (35) (Formerly Subsec. (31)):
Cited. 1 CA 517, 518.
Subsec. (36) (Formerly Subsec. (32)):
"Operation" defined. 90 C. 414; 96 C. 391. Defendant, who had seized wheel while instructing another, was "operator".
119 C. 563. Cited. 141 C. 539. The use of any mechanical or electrical device not an integral part of a motor vehicle not
considered "operation of a motor vehicle". 180 C. 469.
Cited. 3 CA 246.
Subsec. (37) (Formerly Subsec. (33)):
"Owner" defined. 92 C. 252; 100 C. 120; 104 C. 169. See 44 C. 298. Cited. 194 C. 129.
Cited. 9 CA 221. Cited. 10 CA 22.
Subsec. (38) (Formerly Subsec. (34)):
Definition of "parked vehicle" is not applicable to Sec. 14-119. 142 C. 592. Subsection must be construed and interpreted
together with Sec. 14-251. Id. No distinction made between cars that are occupied and those that are not. 145 C. 141.
Subsec. (39) (Formerly Subsec. (36)):
Cited. 40 CS 156, 157.
Subsec. (40) (Formerly Subsec. (35)):
Cited. 203 C. 45. Motorcycles are not passenger motor vehicles within meaning of section. 239 C. 1.
Subsec. (41) (Formerly Subsec. (37)):
Cited. 40 CS 156.
Subsec. (44) (Formerly Subsec. (40)):
As to "public service motor vehicles" as defined in an earlier act, see 92 C. 585; 97 C. 241. Cited. 114 C. 408.
Subsec. (45):
"Mobile home" as commonly understood does not encompass "motor homes". 70 CA 86.
Subsec. (47) (Formerly Subsec. (30)):
All-terrain vehicle qualifies for uninsured motorist coverage under the policy definition. 45 CS 144. Only purpose of
golf cart exception is to allow the vehicle to be operated on highway for very limited purposes. 46 CS 24.
Subsec. (48) (Formerly Subsec. (44)):
Cited. 24 CS 365.
Subsec. (56) (Formerly Subsec. (52)):
Cited. 223 C. 127.
Subsec. (62) (Formerly part of Subsec. (55)):
Where court rendered judgment on a stipulation of facts that the portion of this subsection defining the phrase "ultimate
consumer" is unconstitutional, held that judgment did not include any determination of validity of statute as it remained
after the definition was held invalid and the judgment was clearly inadequate in that it did not conform to the pleadings,
issues and prayers for relief. 152 C. 648.