Before You Get Behind the Wheel: Vehicle Checks, Seat Belts, Child Restraints, Cell Phones and Insurance: Emissions Rechecks Within 60 Days, Brakes, Lights, Glass, Tires and the Penny Test, Suspension, Exhaust and Engine, Green Driving, Steering, Horn, Mirrors and Loose Objects, Aftermarket Tint, the $75 Belt Fine, Wearing Both Parts of the Belt, Air Bags Are Not Enough, the Four Child Restraint Categories From Rear-Facing to Booster, Five-Point Harnesses and the Front-Seat Ban, Drivers' Duty for Passengers 7 to 16, Belt Myths and the 25 mph Brick Wall, Hand-Held Phones Banned Even in Stopped Traffic, No Devices at All for 16- and 17-Year-Olds, the Emergency Exceptions, and Continuous Insurance With Compliance Agreements

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Connecticut Class D learner's permit knowledge test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.

Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (DMV, March 2023), Chapter 2 "Before You Get Behind the Wheel" (pages 11–13).

Know your vehicle

Safe driving starts with a safe vehicle, and keeping it safe is the driver's duty: a vehicle in bad shape is unsafe, costs more to run, can break down or crash and may fail you in an emergency, while a well-kept one gives an extra margin. An emissions inspection may be required, and a vehicle that fails gets 60 days for repairs and a recheck. Follow the owner's manual for routine maintenance, some of it yours and some a mechanic's. Brakes are the only thing that stops you; noise, an unusual odor, a pedal that sinks to the floor or pulling to one side when braking all call for service. Lights: check turn signals, brake lights, taillights and headlights from outside, since brake lights announce stops as signals announce turns, and a misaligned headlight helps no one and may blind others; trouble seeing at night or other drivers flashing at you means a headlight check. Windshield, wipers and windows: clear snow, ice and frost from every window, keep all wipers working and replace blades that smear, keep the washer bottle full, clean the glass inside too since sun or headlights on a dirty windshield blind you, and replace damaged glass, which breaks easily. Tires: worn or bald tires lengthen stops, make wet turns harder, worsen hydroplaning and invite flats; unbalanced or underinflated tires wear fast, waste fuel and hurt steering and stopping; bouncing, a shaking wheel or pulling means a check; the correct pressure is in the manual or on the driver's door jamb, measured with a gauge. Monthly or before a long trip check wear with the penny test: hold Lincoln's body between thumb and forefinger, put his head into a groove where the tread looks lowest, and if any part of his head is covered you have safe tread; below that, grip in bad conditions drops sharply. Suspension that bounces after bumps or stops or makes the car hard to control may need shocks. The exhaust quiets the engine, cools its gases and carries them to the rear; leaking gases can kill inside a vehicle within minutes, so never run the engine in a closed garage, open a window when sitting long with it running, and have the system checked since many leaks are silent. A poorly running engine loses power, may not start, wastes fuel, pollutes and can die on the road. Burning fuel releases carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change, so buy smart by researching emissions and fuel economy, and drive smart by learning what affects mileage. Inside, hard or delayed steering needs a mechanic; the horn is a life-saving warning device to be used only as a warning; fasten belts and check that every passenger is belted or restrained, since Connecticut's belt law is mandatory; adjust the seat, rearview and side mirrors before moving so you see out the back window and to the sides, setting side mirrors so a slight lean forward shows the side of your vehicle; secure loose objects that could fly in a stop or roll under the brake pedal; and remember aftermarket tint and lighting changes may violate legal standards.

Seat belt laws

Belts greatly cut the chance of injury or death, and in Connecticut driving or riding unbelted is illegal, with a $75 fine for each unbelted driver or passenger. With a two-part belt wear both the lap and shoulder parts, since either alone gives far less protection, and buckle the lap belt even with an automatic shoulder belt or you can slide out and be hurt or killed. Belts also keep you behind the wheel and in control when struck from the side or in a sharp turn, and state law requires them even with air bags, which protect against the wheel, dashboard and windshield but not in side or rear hits or rollovers, and cannot keep you behind the wheel. Children under 16 must be secured in proper child restraint and safety systems: under age 2, or under 30 pounds at any age, a rear-facing-only seat or rear-facing convertible seat with a five-point harness; age 2 to 5, or under 40 pounds at any age, a rear- or forward-facing restraint with a five-point harness; age 5 to 8, or 40 to 60 pounds, a five-point harness or booster seat; age 8 or older and 60 pounds or more, a booster or seat belt. When age and weight fall in different categories the more restrictive rule applies, restraint systems must have a five-point harness, and a rear-facing restraint may not be placed in the front seat of a vehicle with a working passenger air bag. Beyond child restraints, every driver must make sure any passenger aged 7 to 16 wears a belt, and every driver and passenger must be belted, each liable to a citation. Belt myths persist: belts trap you (it takes under a second to release one, fires and submersions are rare, and staying conscious improves escape); belts are only for long trips (over half of traffic deaths happen within 25 miles of home, many on roads posted under 45 mph); people thrown clear walk away (you survive far more often inside, and belts keep you out of the path of other vehicles); a side hit throws you away from the crash (it slides everything unfastened toward the impact); and you can brace at low speed (a 25 mph head-on equals pedaling a bicycle full speed into a brick wall or diving off a three-story building, which no one can brace for). Click it or ticket.

Cell phone laws

Hand-held phones and mobile electronic devices, including laptops, personal digital assistants and paging or text devices, may not be used while driving on any public highway, nor while temporarily stopped for traffic, road conditions or a sign or signal; you may use them only when safely parked on the side or shoulder. Drivers may use hands-free accessories only, but 16- and 17-year-olds may use no phone or device at all, even hands-free. The exceptions for any age are emergencies: contacting an emergency operator, hospital, doctor's office, clinic, ambulance company, or fire or police department; peace officers, firefighters and ambulance drivers 18 and older may use hand-held devices. A 16- or 17-year-old violator is charged with a moving violation, a conviction under 18 brings a license suspension, and the moving violation counts toward the operator retraining program.

Insurance laws

Connecticut requires continuous insurance on every registered vehicle. If coverage lapses the insurer reports the cancellation to DMV, which notifies you and offers an Insurance Compliance agreement: show proof of insurance and pay the compliance fine and nothing more happens as long as coverage continues while the vehicle is registered in your name. Ignoring the warning suspends the registration, and no vehicle may be driven on a public highway without one.

Practise this with Connecticut Driver License questions

More of this guide