May 26, 2005 |
2005-R-0469 | |
VIOLATIONS OF PASSENGER RESTRICTIONS ON 16- AND 17-YEAR OLD LICENSED DRIVERS | ||
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By: James J. Fazzalaro, Principal Analyst | ||
You asked how many 16- and 17-year old licensed drivers have been charged with violating the passenger restrictions imposed on them by CGS § 14-36g.
The restrictions imposed by CGS § 14-36g on 16- and 17-year olds who hold drivers’ licenses went into effect on January 1, 2004. Since that time, the Information Technology Division of the Office of the Chief Court Administrator reports that a total of 64 tickets have been issued for violations of one of the law’s five prohibitions. Of these, 45 were paid and disposed at the Centralized Infractions Bureau (CIB) for a total of $ 4,635. Another 17 were transferred to the appropriate court with not guilty pleas. The remaining two have been entered with the CIB and are awaiting pleas from the defendants.
CGS § 14-36g establishes five prohibitions on 16- and 17-year olds who have received their drivers’ licenses.
1. During the first three months of licensure the driver may not carry more than one passenger, who can be a parent or guardian who hold a driver’s license and is at least age 20, a Department of Motor Vehicles-licensed driving instructor, or any other person who is at least age 20 and has held an unsuspended driver’s license for at least the last four years.
2. During the fourth through sixth months of licensure, the 16- or 17-year old, in addition to the passenger noted above, may carry any additional members of his immediate family.
3. A 16- or 17-year old licensee may not operate a vanpool vehicle or any vehicle for which a public passenger transportation permit is required by law.
4. A 16- or 17-year old licensee may not transport more passengers in a vehicle than there are seat belts permanently installed in the vehicle.
5. For the first sixth months of licensure, a 16- or 17-year old licensee issued a motorcycle endorsement may not transport any passenger on the motorcycle.
The majority of the tickets issued (46 of 64) were for violation of the one-passenger restriction during the first three months of licensure. Table 1 shows a breakdown of the tickets issued for each of the five prohibitions and how they were handled.
Table 1: Disposition of Citations Issued for Violation of Post-Licensure Restrictions on 16- and 17-year Old Drivers
Prohibition |
Paid Through CIB |
Amounts Paid to CIB |
Transferred to Appropriate Court With Not Guilty Plea |
Total Tickets Issued |
More Than One Passenger During First Three Months |
35 |
$ 3,605 |
11 |
46 |
More Than One Passenger Other Than Immediate Family Members-Months Four Through Six |
8 |
$ 824 |
5 |
13 |
Operating Vanpool Vehicle or Vehicle Requiring Public Passenger Transportation Permit |
1 |
$ 103 |
0 |
1 |
Passengers Exceeding Number of Available Seat Belts |
1 |
$ 103 |
1 |
2 |
Motorcycle Passenger Restriction |
0 |
0 |
0 | |
CIB Cases Entered and Awaiting Defendant Pleas |
2 |
All but one of the 17 tickets transferred with not guilty pleas went to the Criminal Motor Vehicle System. The other one went to a screening court and is still pending. In addition, the Criminal Motor Vehicle System received another four cases directly that did not pass through the CIB. Of these 20 cases, 17 are still pending, one was dismissed, and for two the CGS § 14-36g charge was nolled.
JF: ts