The General Assembly has passed three new laws seeking to increase safety on Connecticut’s highways. The laws come as 2024 was the deadliest year for motor vehicle crashes in Connecticut in at least a decade, according to news reports.
One law creates tougher penalties for motorists who drive faster than 100 mph on Connecticut highways; such excessive speeds have become commonplace in Connecticut, as evidenced by news stories here, here, and here.
Under current law, any motorist driving over 85 mph faces a “reckless driving” charge of up to a $300 fine and 30 days in prison for a first offense. The new 100 mph law increases that fine to $600.
Under the law, if a police officer arrests someone for reckless driving — specifically for driving over 100 mph — and the person has a prior reckless driving conviction, the officer must impound the vehicle for 48 hours. After that period, the owner may retrieve the vehicle by paying all towing and storage fees.
As under the existing reckless driving law, the new law prohibits driving faster than 100 mph on public roads, parking areas for at least 10 cars, any school property, and other private roads.
Another new law includes several provisions intended to improve the safety of highway workers; highway workers and emergency personnel are increasingly the victims of dangerous driving on Connecticut roads, as evidenced in news stories here, here, and here.
Starting Jan. 1, all Connecticut learner’s permit holders (ages 16 and 17) must complete a new highway work zone and roadside vehicle safety awareness program before they can get a driver’s license. Drivers will also have to complete the program if they violate the state’s “move over” law, which generally requires vehicles to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles, or the law on endangering highway workers.
The new vehicle safety program must, among other things, highlight the dangers of driving unsafely in work zones and include testimonials from highway workers and their families, as well as meet other parameters the law sets.
The legislature also increased the fines for certain violations of the “move over” law and endangering a highway worker. For the “move over” law, the new statute increases the fines for causing an emergency vehicle driver’s or occupant’s injury from as little as $2,500 to as much as $20,000, and it increases the fines for endangering a highway worker and causing a worker’s injury from as little as $5,000 to as much as $20,000.
