Public Safety and Security Committee
Transportation Committee
Appropriations Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING FIRE STATION WORK ZONES
SUMMARY: This act allows a municipality to designate fire station work zones and doubles the basic fines for speeding or committing certain other traffic violations in any such conspicuously designated zone where a uniformed firefighter is directing traffic. The municipality may designate a fire station work zone by posting a sign at the (1) beginning of the zone that reads: “FIRE STATION WORK AHEAD FINES DOUBLED” and (2) end of the zone that reads: “END FIRE STATION WORK. ”
As is currently the case for other similarly designated zones, neither the state nor a municipality or their agents or employees are civilly liable for any personal injury or property damage that results from a municipality's failure to post the sign.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2013
BACKGROUND
Enhanced Fines in Designated Zones
By law, when certain traffic violations occur in a traffic incident management zone or a conspicuously designated highway or municipal road construction or utility work zone, the court must impose an additional fee equal to 100% of the fine established for the violation. (By law, there are charges for these violations in addition to the basic fines. ) For the enhanced penalty to apply in the highway or municipal road construction zone, the Department of Transportation or municipality, as applicable, must post a sign at the beginning of the zone that states “ROAD WORK AHEAD FINES DOUBLED” and a sign at the end of the zone stating “END ROAD WORK. ” For it to apply in the public utility work zone, the utility must post a sign at the beginning of the zone that states “UTILITY WORK AHEAD FINES DOUBLED” and a sign at the end of the zone stating “END UTILITY WORK. ”
Table 1 shows examples of violations subject to enhanced fines.
Table 1: Examples of Motor Vehicle Violations Subject to Enhanced Fines
Law Violation |
Statute (CGS §) |
Travelling too fast for conditions |
14-218a |
Speeding |
14-219 |
Improper passing, safe distance, cutting in |
14-232(a)(1) |
Increasing speed while being passed |
14-232(a)(2) |
Disobeying officer's signal |
14-223 |
Failure to drive in proper lane |
14-236 |
Related Acts
PA 13-92:
1. doubles the basic fine for drivers who violate the cell phone ban in a highway work zone and requires that half of the additional fee be deposited in a new Special Transportation Fund account for highway work zone safety;
2. adds certain violations of the highway work zone to those violations that require drivers to attend the driver retraining program;
3. requires that the test given to a driver's license applicant include a question on highway work zone safety; and
4. requires the motor vehicles commissioner to assess up to two points against the license of a driver who violates the highway work zone law.
PA 13-277 (§§ 65-67) changes the way the highway work zone safety account, created by PA 13-92, is funded.
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