Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-275

Current with legislation from the 2024 Regular and Special Sessions.

Section 14-275 - Equipment and color of school buses. Information displayed on school buses and student transportation vehicles

(a) The term "school bus" means any motor bus painted, constructed, equipped and registered as hereinafter provided, which is regularly used for transporting school children to and from school or school activities whether or not for compensation or under contract to provide such service. No vehicle shall be registered as a school bus unless it complies with all requirements of sections 14-275 to 14-281, inclusive, as to color, markings, equipment and inspection, and each such vehicle shall be inspected prior to such registration in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, provided any new school bus that is registered between August first and the start of the next succeeding school year and is inspected prior to such registration, in accordance with such regulations, shall be exempt from further inspection until September of the following year. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee may also conduct random, unannounced inspections of any registered school bus. Any school bus that transports individuals in wheelchairs shall meet the requirements of subsection (e) of section 14-100a in order to pass inspection. The provisions of said sections requiring other vehicles to stop at the signal of the operator of a registered school bus shall not apply to a signal by the operator of any vehicle not registered as a school bus and not complying with all requirements for such registration.

(b) Each school bus shall be painted a uniform yellow color known as "National School Bus Glossy Yellow", except for the fenders and trim which may be painted black and the roof which may be painted white, and shall have conspicuously painted on the rear and on the front of such vehicle, in black lettering of a size to be determined by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, the words "School Bus-Stop on Signal", except that each school bus equipped with an eight-light warning system shall have the words "School Bus" painted on the rear and on the front of such vehicle in such lettering. The sides of such vehicles may be inscribed with the words "School Bus", the school name or such other legend or device as may be necessary for purposes of identification or safety. Each school bus, and any student transportation vehicle, as defined in section 14-212, regularly used by any town, regional school district, private school or entity contracting with such town, regional school district or private school to transport school children to and from school or school activities, shall have conspicuously painted on the rear and sides of such bus or student transportation vehicle, in black lettering of a size to be determined by the commissioner, the name of the school bus company, the school bus company's telephone number and the school bus number or the name of the owner or operator of such student transportation vehicle, the telephone number of such owner or operator and the fleet number of such student transportation vehicle.

(c)

(1) Each school bus shall be equipped with special automatic, electrically-operated flashing stop signals, which shall be independent and separate from the braking, stop and tail lights of standard equipment. Such flashing lights may include automatic traffic signalling devices showing red and amber lights and shall be so located that adequate warning will be afforded to both oncoming and overtaking traffic, except that each school bus manufactured on and after October 1, 1984, and registered for use in this state shall be equipped with an eight-light warning system, showing two red flashing stop signals and two amber flashing warning signals on the front and rear of the bus, and a stop semaphore. The commissioner may adopt standards for an eightlight warning system and standards and specifications for the construction of school buses and for equipment to be maintained on school buses consistent with the provisions of this section, sections 14-275a to 14-281, inclusive.

(2) Both public and private owners of school buses shall maintain a record of such kinds of repairs made to such buses as the commissioner may require and such work record shall be available at all times to the commissioner and the commissioner's designated assistants. All such maintenance records shall be retained for a period of two years.

(3) Each school bus shall be equipped with emergency lighting equipment as provided by section 14-97a, with a defrosting device as provided by section 14-97, with a system of mirrors as provided in the Code of Federal Regulations Title 49, Section 571.111, as amended from time to time, or with an outside mirror as provided by section 14-99 , and a system of crossover mirrors designed and mounted so as to give the driver a view of the road from the front bumper forward to a point where direct observation is possible and along the left and right sides of the bus, with a signalling device as provided by section 14-101, and with chain nonskid devices for immediate use on at least one outside or inside rear tire on each side or tires designed to prevent skidding on all rear wheels when weather and highway conditions require such use.

(4) Commencing February 1, 1974, each new school bus with a vehicle air brake system shall be so equipped that the brake system is operated from a separate air reservoir tank other than the air reservoir tank used to operate any other compressed air or vacuum operated devices with which the school bus may be equipped.

(5) The seating requirements of section 14-273 shall be observed.

(6) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 14-98, school buses may be equipped with tires incorporating a metal nonskid device during the period from October fifteenth to April thirtieth, inclusive.

(7) Each school bus that is model year 2007 or newer shall be equipped with a crossing control arm mounted on the right end of the front bumper. The commissioner shall establish additional standards and requirements for a crossing control arm in regulations adopted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54.

(8) A school bus may be equipped with an extended stop arm. For the purposes of this subdivision, "extended stop arm" means a device attached to a stop semaphore that when activated displays a stop sign and extends more than three feet but not more than six feet from the left side of a school bus.

(d) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall, for a first offense, be deemed to have committed an infraction, and for each subsequent offense shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-275

(1955, S. 1319d; 1957, P.A. 481; 1959, P.A. 62, S. 8; 1961, P.A. 279; 1967, P.A. 395; 661; 1969, P.A. 639, S. 2; 1971, P.A. 149; 1972, P.A. 286, S. 1; P.A. 73-150; P.A. 75-161, S. 1, 2; P.A. 77-108; P.A. 81-182; 81-256, S. 2; S.A. 81-57, S. 4, 5; P.A. 82-223, S. 20; P.A. 83-577, S. 25; P.A. 84-18, S. 1, 3; P.A. 85-118; P.A. 87-169; P.A. 91-272 , S. 3 , 8 ; 91-272 , S. 3 , 8 ; P.A. 92-47 ; P.A. 93-341 , S. 25 , 38 ; P.A. 96-167 , S. 37 , 44 , 49 ; P.A. 00-169 , S. 9 ; P.A. 07-134 , S. 4 ; 07-224 , S. 6 ; P.A. 08-150 , S. 44 ; P.A. 10-32 , S. 50 ; P.A. 11-130 , S. 1 ; P.A. 13-271 , S. 57 .)

Amended by P.A. 22-0044, S. 28 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2022 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2022.

Amended by P.A. 21-0106, S. 38 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2021 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2021.

State is not limited to proving a vehicle is a registered school bus by a certified copy of registration prepared by commissioner; it could prove this element by such other evidence as it sees fit. 4 Conn. Cir. Ct. 5.

See Sec. 14-107 re liability of owner, operator or lessee of vehicle.