Substitute Senate Bill No. 489
Substitute Senate Bill No. 489
PUBLIC ACT NO. 98-181
AN ACT INCREASING THE SPEED LIMIT ON CERTAIN
HIGHWAYS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 14-218a of the general
statutes is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof:
(a) No person shall operate a motor vehicle
upon any public highway of the state, or road of
any specially chartered municipal association or
any district organized under the provisions of
chapter 105, a purpose of which is the
construction and maintenance of roads and
sidewalks, or on any parking area as defined in
section 14-212, or upon a private road on which a
speed limit has been established in accordance
with this subsection, or upon any school property,
at a rate of speed greater than is reasonable,
having regard to the width, traffic and use of
highway, road or parking area, the intersection of
streets and weather conditions. The State Traffic
Commission may determine speed limits which are
reasonable and safe on any state highway, bridge
or parkway built or maintained by the state, and
differing limits may be established for different
types of vehicles, and may erect or cause to be
erected signs indicating such speed limits. The
traffic authority of any town, city or borough may
establish speed limits on streets, highways and
bridges or in any parking area for ten cars or
more or on any private road wholly within the
municipality under its jurisdiction; provided such
limit on streets, highways, bridges and parking
areas for ten cars or more shall become effective
only after application for approval thereof has
been submitted in writing to the State Traffic
Commission and a certificate of such approval has
been forwarded by the commission to the traffic
authority; and provided such signs giving notice
of such speed limits shall have been erected as
the State Traffic Commission directs, provided the
erection of such signs on any private road shall
be at the expense of the owner of such road. The
presence of such signs adjacent to or on the
highway or parking area for ten cars or more shall
be prima facie evidence that they have been so
placed under the direction of and with the
approval of the State Traffic Commission. Approval
of such speed limits may be revoked by said
commission at any time if it deems such revocation
to be in the interest of public safety and
welfare, and thereupon such speed limits shall
cease to be effective and any signs that have been
erected shall be removed. Any speed in excess of
such limits, other than speeding as provided for
in section 14-219, AS AMENDED BY SECTION 2 OF THIS
ACT, shall be prima facie evidence that such speed
is not reasonable, but the fact that the speed of
a vehicle is lower than such limits shall not
relieve the operator from the duty to decrease
speed when a special hazard exists with respect to
pedestrians or other traffic or by reason of
weather or highway conditions.
(b) THE STATE TRAFFIC COMMISSION SHALL
ESTABLISH A SPEED LIMIT OF SIXTY-FIVE MILES PER
HOUR ON ANY MULTIPLE LANE, LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAYS
THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR A SPEED LIMIT OF SIXTY-FIVE
MILES PER HOUR, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION RELEVANT
FACTORS INCLUDING DESIGN, POPULATION OF AREA AND
TRAFFIC FLOW.
[(b)] (c) Any person who operates a motor
vehicle at a greater rate of speed than is
reasonable, other than speeding, as provided for
in section 14-219, AS AMENDED BY SECTION 2 OF THIS
ACT, shall commit the infraction of traveling
unreasonably fast.
Sec. 2. Section 14-219 of the general statutes
is repealed and the following is substituted in
lieu thereof:
(a) No person shall operate any motor vehicle
(1) upon any highway, road or any parking area for
ten cars or more, at such a rate of speed as to
endanger the life of any occupant of such motor
vehicle, but not the life of any other person than
such an occupant; or (2) at a rate of speed
greater than fifty-five miles per hour upon any
highway OTHER THAN A HIGHWAY SPECIFIED IN
SUBSECTION (b) OF SECTION 14-218a, AS AMENDED BY
SECTION 1 OF THIS ACT, FOR WHICH A SPEED LIMIT HAS
BEEN ESTABLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS
OF SAID SUBSECTION; OR (3) AT A RATE OF SPEED
GREATER THAN SIXTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR UPON ANY
HIGHWAY SPECIFIED IN SUBSECTION (b) OF SECTION
14-218a, AS AMENDED BY SECTION 1 OF THIS ACT, FOR
WHICH A SPEED LIMIT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SAID SUBSECTION.
(b) Any person who operates a motor vehicle
(1) on a multiple lane, limited access highway
OTHER THAN A HIGHWAY SPECIFIED IN SUBSECTION (b)
OF SECTION 14-218a, AS AMENDED BY SECTION 1 OF
THIS ACT, FOR WHICH A SPEED LIMIT HAS BEEN
ESTABLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF
SAID SUBSECTION at a rate of speed greater than
fifty-five miles per hour but not greater than
seventy miles per hour or (2) ON A MULTIPLE LANE,
LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY SPECIFIED IN SUBSECTION (b)
OF SECTION 14-218a, AS AMENDED BY SECTION 1 OF
THIS ACT, FOR WHICH A SPEED LIMIT HAS BEEN
ESTABLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF
SAID SUBSECTION AT A RATE OF SPEED GREATER THAN
SIXTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR BUT NOT GREATER THAN
SEVENTY MILES PER HOUR OR [(2)] (3) on any other
highway at a rate of speed greater than fifty-five
miles per hour but not greater than sixty miles
per hour, shall commit an infraction, provided any
such person operating a truck, as defined in
section 14-260n, shall have committed a violation
and shall be fined not less than one hundred
dollars nor more than one hundred fifty dollars.
(c) Any person who violates any provision of
subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section
or who operates a motor vehicle (1) on a multiple
lane, limited access highway at a rate of speed
greater than seventy miles per hour but not
greater than eighty-five miles per hour or (2) on
any other highway at a rate of speed greater than
sixty miles per hour but not greater than
eighty-five miles per hour shall be fined not less
than one hundred dollars nor more than one hundred
fifty dollars, provided any such person operating
a truck, as defined in section 14-260n, shall be
fined not less than one hundred fifty dollars nor
more than two hundred dollars.
(d) No person shall be subject to prosecution
for a violation of both subsection (a) of this
section and subsection (a) of section 14-222
because of the same offense.
(e) Notwithstanding any provision of the
general statutes to the contrary, any person who
violates subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this
section, subdivision (1) OR (2) of subsection (b)
of this section while operating a truck, as
defined in section 14-260n, or subdivision (1) of
subsection (c) of this section while operating a
motor vehicle or a truck, as defined in section
14-260n, shall follow the procedures set forth in
section 51-164n.
Approved June 4, 1998