(a) After October 1, 1967, every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer and pole trailer, and any other vehicle which is being drawn at the end of a combination of vehicles, shall be equipped with at least two tail lamps mounted on the rear, which, when lighted as required in subsection (a) of section
14-96a, shall emit a red light plainly visible from a distance of one thousand feet to the rear, except that passenger cars manufactured or assembled prior to October 1, 1957, and motorcycles shall have at least one such tail lamp. On a combination of vehicles, only the tail lamps on the rearmost vehicle need actually be seen from the distance specified. On vehicles equipped with more than one tail lamp, the lamps shall be mounted on the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable.
(b) Every tail lamp upon every vehicle shall be located at a mounted height of not more than seventy-two inches nor less than fifteen inches.
(c) The rear registration plate shall be so illumined with a white light as to render it clearly legible from a distance of fifty feet to the rear. Any tail lamp or tail lamps, together with any separate lamp or lamps for illuminating the rear registration plate, shall be so wired as to be lighted whenever the head lamps or auxiliary driving lamps are lighted, except that any vehicle equipped by the manufacturer with daytime running lamps which meet federal requirements may have such daytime running lamps illuminated without illumination of the tail lamps or rear registration plate.
(d) Failure to have tail lamps or failure to illuminate the rear registration plate as required in this section shall be an infraction.
(1967, P.A. 834, S. 4; P.A. 75-577, S. 29, 126; P.A. 90-263, S. 21, 74; P.A. 96-167, S. 28.)
History: P.A. 75-577 added Subsec. (d); P.A. 90-263 amended Subsec. (b) to substitute 15 for 20 inches as a minimum mounted height; P.A. 96-167 amended Subsec. (c) to add exception for any vehicle equipped with daytime running lamps meeting federal requirements.
Cited. 11 CA 11; 30 CA 263.
Notes of Decisions
McCoy v. Comm'r of Pub. Saf., 12 A.3d 948 (Conn. 2011).
· cites it 4× “, General Statutes § 14-96b (d) ("[f]ailure to have headlamps in accordance with the requirements of this section shall be an infraction"); General Statutes § 14-96c (d) ("[f]ailure to have tail lamps or failure to illuminate the rear registration plate as required in this…”
Bengtson v. Comm'r of Motor Vehs., 859 A.2d 967 (Conn. App. Ct. 2004).
· cites it 8× “On May 17, 2003, a police officer stopped the plaintiff for operating a motor vehicle without functioning taillights, a violation of General Statutes § 14-96c. 3 The plaintiff was then eighteen years old.”
State v. Brito, 154 A.3d 535 (Conn. App. Ct. 2017).
· cites it 2× “7 Weerden's testimony amply supported the court's finding that the stop of the vehicle in which the defendant was a passenger was preceded by Weerden's observation that the vehicle's registration plate was not illuminated, as required by General Statutes § 14-96c(c). The…”
State v. Lizotte, 525 A.2d 971 (Conn. App. Ct. 1987).
· cites it 4× “At that time, the officers also noticed that one of the tail lights on the van was not operating, a violation of General Statutes § 14-96c. Landry approached the driver side of the van to question the driver and Tischofer went to the passenger side.”
State v. Johnson, 26 A.3d 59 (Conn. 2011).
· cites it 2× “On January 27, 2007, the defendant was arrested and charged with operating a motor *636 vehicle while his operator’s license was under suspension in violation of General Statutes § 14-215 and improper illumination of a registration plate in violation of General Statutes § 14-96c…”
Pinheiro v. Bd. of Educ., 620 A.2d 159 (Conn. App. Ct. 1993).
· cites it 2× “ility on at least two wheels as required by General Statutes § 14-80h (d); (8) it is not equipped with an exhaust system that exhausts behind the driver’s seat as required by General Statutes § 14-80 (d); (9) it is not equipped with stop lights as required by General Statutes §…”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-96c(c): 1 case
State v. Brito, 154 A.3d 535 (Conn. App. Ct. 2017).
“7 Weerden's testimony amply supported the court's finding that the stop of the vehicle in which the defendant was a passenger was preceded by Weerden's observation that the vehicle's registration plate was not illuminated, as required by General Statutes § 14-96c(c). The…”
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