Sec. 14-36e. (Formerly Sec. 10-24). Course in motor vehicle operation and highway safety.
Sec. 14-36e. (Formerly Sec. 10-24). Course in motor vehicle operation and
highway safety. (a) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall prepare for use in all high
and other secondary schools a course of study of motor vehicle operation and highway
safety.
(b) Each local and regional board of education may provide a course of instruction
in motor vehicle operation and highway safety on a secondary school level, which course
(1) shall consist of not less than thirty clock hours of classroom instruction offered
during or after school hours as said board of education, in its discretion, may provide,
including instruction of not less than fifteen minutes concerning the responsibilities of
an operator of a motor vehicle under subsection (b) of section 14-223 and the penalty
for a violation of the provisions of said subsection (b), and (2) may include behind-the-wheel instruction of up to twenty clock hours. Said course shall be open to enrollment
by any person between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, inclusive, who is a resident of
the town or school district or whose parent, parents or legal guardian owns property
taxable in such town or school district. Any such board of education may contract for
such behind-the-wheel instruction with a licensed drivers' school.
(1949 Rev., S. 1363; 1959, P.A. 672, S. 1; February, 1965, P.A. 361, S. 1; 1967, P.A. 765, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 456, S. 2;
P.A. 75-479, S. 21, 25; P.A. 78-355, S. 1; P.A. 83-104, S. 1, 2; P.A. 92-262, S. 4, 42; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1, S. 44, 121;
P.A. 99-171, S. 2, 5; P.A. 05-218, S. 40; P.A. 06-130, S. 3.)
History: 1959 act provided conditions for eligibility to take motor vehicle operation course; 1965 act divided section
into subsections, included highway safety in course subject matter and added details of course re classroom and on-the-road instruction; 1967 act replaced "may" with "shall" in Subsec. (b) thus requiring the course to be offered and requiring
at least six hours of behind-the-wheel training; 1971 act allowed provision of behind-the-wheel instruction through contract
with licensed drivers' school; P.A. 75-479 changed "shall" to "may" in Subsec. (b), thus making program optional again
and required students to be residents of town or school district or to have parent or guardian owning property in the town
or school district where they take the course rather than in any town or school district in state; P.A. 78-355 made no changes;
P.A. 83-104 made offering of behind-the-wheel instruction optional, at discretion of local education agency, rather than
mandatory; P.A. 92-262 transferred authority for program from state board of education to department of motor vehicles;
Sec. 10-24 transferred to Sec. 14-36e in 1993; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing "six clock hours"
with "eight clock hours", effective June 24, 1998; P.A. 99-171 amended Subsec. (b) by dividing it into subdivisions and
requiring instruction re operator responsibilities and penalties under Sec. 14-223(b), effective January 1, 2000; P.A. 05-218 amended Subsec. (b)(2) by changing "eight" to "twenty" re clock hours of instruction, effective July 1, 2005; P.A.
06-130 amended Subsec. (b)(2) by changing required clock hours of instruction from "not less than twenty" to "up to
twenty", effective June 2, 2006.
See Sec. 14-292 re requirement that vehicles driven by student drivers bear distinctive markers.
Annotation to former section 10-24:
Cited. 152 C. 151.