Connecticut § 14-300i - Vehicle operator to exercise reasonable care when near vulnerable user on a public way.

§ 14-300i. Vehicle operator to exercise reasonable care when near vulnerable user on a public way.

Sec. 14-300i. Vehicle operator to exercise reasonable care when near vulnerable user on a public way. (a) As used in this section, (1) “vulnerable user” means: (A) A pedestrian; (B) a highway worker; (C) a person riding or driving an animal; (D) a person riding a bicycle, an electric bicycle or an electric foot scooter; (E) a person using a skateboard, roller skates or in-line skates; (F) a person operating or riding on an agricultural tractor; (G) a person using a wheelchair or motorized chair; (H) a person who is blind and such person's service animal; and (I) a person operating (i) a commercial motor vehicle equipped with a garbage compactor, a detachable container or a curbside recycling body, (ii) a tank vehicle, (iii) a vehicle authorized by the United States government to carry mail, or (iv) a vehicle authorized by an express delivery carrier service, (2) “public way” includes any state or other public highway, road, street, avenue, alley, driveway, parkway or place, under the control of the state or any political subdivision of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to public travel or other use, (3) “substantial bodily harm” means bodily injury that involves a temporary but substantial disfigurement, causes a temporary but substantial loss or impairment of the function of any bodily part or organ, or causes a fracture of any bodily part, (4) “serious physical injury” has the same meaning as provided in section 53a-3, and (5) “service animal” has the same meaning as provided in section 22-345.

(b) Any person operating a motor vehicle on a public way who fails to exercise reasonable care and causes substantial bodily harm to, or the serious physical injury or death, of a vulnerable user of a public way, provided such vulnerable user has shown reasonable care in such user's use of the public way, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars.

(P.A. 14-31, S. 1; P.A. 17-202, S. 45; P.A. 18-165, S. 18; P.A. 19-162, S. 18; P.A. 21-195, S. 1; P.A. 22-44, S. 29; P.A. 24-18, S. 5.)

History: P.A. 17-202 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(H) to replace “blind person” with “person who is blind”; P.A. 18-165 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(D) to add “or an electric bicycle”; P.A. 19-162 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(D) to add reference to electric foot scooter, further amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdivs. (3) and (4) defining “substantial bodily harm” and “serious physical injury”, and amended Subsec. (b) to add reference to substantial bodily harm and made technical changes; P.A. 21-195 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by adding new Subpara. (I) re operation of vehicle with garbage compactor, detachable container or curbside recycling body, tank vehicle, vehicle carrying mail or vehicle by express delivery carrier; P.A. 22-44 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(iv) to replace “operated” with “authorized” and add “service”, effective July 1, 2022; P.A. 24-18, amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdiv. (5) defining “service animal” and make a technical change, effective July 1, 2024.