Sec. 14-250. Certain motor vehicles to stop at railroad crossing. Regulations. Penalty.
Sec. 14-250. Certain motor vehicles to stop at railroad crossing. Regulations.
Penalty. (a) The operator of each commercial motor vehicle transporting passengers,
service bus or motor vehicle used for the transportation of school children and the operator of each commercial motor vehicle with a cargo tank or carrying hazardous materials,
as defined in section 14-1, whether loaded or empty, before crossing at grade any track
or tracks of a railroad, shall stop such vehicle not less than fifteen feet or more than fifty
feet from the nearest rail of such track, and, while so stopped, shall listen and look in
each direction along such track or tracks for approaching locomotives or trains before
crossing such track or tracks; and such operator shall not, in any event, cross such track
or tracks when warned by automatic signal, crossing gates, flagman, law enforcement
officer or otherwise of the approach of a railroad locomotive or train.
(b) The operator of any commercial motor vehicle shall not attempt to cross a railroad grade crossing if such vehicle cannot be driven completely through such crossing,
without shifting gears, on account of insufficient undercarriage clearance.
(c) The operator of any commercial motor vehicle shall not attempt to cross a railroad grade crossing if such vehicle does not have sufficient space to drive completely
through such crossing and to clear the tracks without stopping.
(d) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of
chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section, including exemptions for certain
crossings and vehicles that are allowed by the provisions of 49 CFR 392.10.
(e) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall be
fined not less than one hundred fifty dollars or more than two hundred fifty dollars.
Violation of any provision of subsection (b) or (c) of this section shall be an infraction.
(1949 Rev., S. 2418; P.A. 76-381, S. 13; P.A. 87-449, S. 2; P.A. 90-263, S. 24, 74; P.A. 94-189, S. 15; P.A. 04-217,
S. 17; P.A. 05-218, S. 39; 05-288, S. 61, 62.)
History: P.A. 76-381 replaced provision for $100 maximum fine and/or 30 days' maximum imprisonment with statement
that violation of provisions is an infraction; P.A. 87-449 changed penalty from an infraction to a fine ranging from $150
to $250; P.A. 90-263 deleted reference to public service motor vehicle, inserting commercial motor vehicle transporting
passengers, taxicab, motor vehicle in livery service, motor bus and service bus in lieu thereof and substituted commercial
motor vehicle carrying "hazardous materials as defined in section 14-1" for explosive substances or poisonous or compressed inflammable gases as cargo or used for the transportation of inflammable or corrosive liquids in bulk; P.A. 94-189 removed operators of taxicabs and motor vehicles in livery service from provisions of section; P.A. 04-217 designated
existing provisions as Subsecs. (a) and (d) and amended Subsec. (a) to delete "motor bus", to include a motor vehicle with
a cargo tank, to change requirement to stop vehicle not less than 10 feet from nearest rail of railroad track to not less than
15 feet and to include warning by law enforcement officer in requirement for operator to stop when warned and added
new Subsec. (b) prohibiting operator from crossing railroad crossing if vehicle cannot be driven completely through crossing
and new Subsec. (c) authorizing commissioner to adopt regulations to implement provisions of section, effective January
1, 2005; P.A. 05-218 amended Subsec. (b) by inserting "commercial" re motor vehicle, deleting reference to Subsec. (a)
and substituting "insufficient undercarriage clearance" for "its width or the clearance of its undercarriage", added new
Subsec. (c) requiring that commercial motor vehicle not attempt to cross railroad grade crossing if it does not have sufficient
space to drive through and clear tracks without stopping, redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) and (d) as Subsecs. (d) and
(e), respectively, amended new Subsec. (d) by inserting "and vehicles" and amended new Subsec. (e) by applying previously
existing penalty to Subsec. (a) violations and making violations of Subsec. (b) or (c) an infraction, effective July 1, 2005;
P.A. 05-288 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (d), effective July 13, 2005.
See chapter 881b re infractions of the law.
Violation of statute is negligence as a matter of law. 140 C. 319, reversing 17 CS 492. Cited. 145 C. 714.
Where plaintiff failed to stop at railway crossing, contributory negligence not established as matter of law. 17 CS 492
(reversed 140 C. 319).