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LEGISLATURELegislature - CT Bill click here to download document (PDF) STATE OF CONNETICUT General Assembly January Session, 1999 January Session, 1999 Referred to Committee on
TRANSPORTATION An Act Concerning Seat Safety Belts on School Buses. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 14-275 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof: (a) The term "school bus" means any motor bus, painted, constructed, equipped and registered as hereinafter provider, 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. The commissioner or his designee may also conduct random, unannounced inspections of any registered school bus. 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 Chrome", 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 thereof, 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 thereof 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. (c) 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 signaling 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. (d) The commissioner may adopt standards for an eight-light 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 sections 14-275 to 14-281, inclusive. [except that the commissioner shall not adopt or enforce any standard or specification which requires a seating arrangement based on a minimum seating width for each child.] (e) 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 his designated assistants. (f) 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, 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 signaling 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. 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. The seating requirements of section 14-273 shall be observed. 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 thirteenth, inclusive. (g) No school bus may be sold or registered in this state unless equipped with safety belts. A passenger of a school bus shall wear a seat safety belt while the school bus s being operated on the highways of the state. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, establishing standards for the construction and installation of seat safety belts on school buses. [(d)] (h) Any person who violates any provisions of this section shall, for a first offence, be deemed to have committed an infraction, and for each subsequent offence shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars. Statement of Purpose: To require school buses to be equipped with seat safety belts and to require a passenger of a school bus to wear a seat safety belt while the bus is being operated. [Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill is new, it is not underlined.]
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