Drinking, Driving and the Law, and the Rules of the Road: Speed, Stopping, Right-of-Way, Roundabouts, U-Turns, Parking, Lights, Horn, Signals, Emergencies and Crashes: Alcohol in 40 Percent of Fatal Crashes, One Drink for a Driver Under 21, What a Drink Is and Why Only Time Sobers You, Drugs and Driving, the 45-Day Suspension and Ignition Interlock for Failing or Refusing a Test, Zero Tolerance at 0.02, the Teen Suspension Table, Youthful Offenders, Police Stops, the Operator Retraining Program, Speeding and Driving Too Slowly, Stopping 400 Feet From 50 mph, Every Right-of-Way Rule, Roundabouts, U-Turns Into the Right Lane, Parking on Hills and No-Parking Distances, Wipers On Means Headlights On, High Beams for 400 Feet and Dimming Within a Block, Horn Taps and Blasts, Signaling Three Seconds Ahead, Breakdowns and Equipment Failures, Stopping, Turning or Speeding Up to Avoid a Crash, Skids, and What to Do at a Crash Scene

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 3 "Drinking and Driving" and "Your License and the Law" (pages 33–35) and Chapter 4 "Road Safety" (pages 36–41).

Drinking, drugs and driving

Alcohol is involved in more than 40 percent of fatal crashes, even a little raises your crash risk, no one can drink and drive safely however experienced, and new drivers are affected most because they are still learning. Penalties are heavy: fines, higher insurance, loss of license and jail. Alcohol reaches every part of the body from the stomach through the blood and hits the brain's judgment and skill centers first, so like a sunburn you do not feel it until too late; it slows reflexes and reaction, blurs vision, dulls alertness, and as it rises ruins judgment of distance, speed and other vehicles' movement and control of the car. The best advice is not to drive after drinking at all, since any amount can impair you and lead to arrest, and in Connecticut a driver under 21 may be considered impaired after one drink. A drink is 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor straight or mixed, 12 ounces of beer or a 5-ounce glass of wine, and specialty drinks can equal several. Nothing sobers you quickly, not coffee, fresh air, exercise or cold showers; only time. Plan for social drinking with a rotating designated driver, public transportation or a cab. Many other drugs affect driving like alcohol or worse, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines for headaches, colds, hay fever, allergies or nerves that cause drowsiness, and others that dull reflexes, judgment, vision and alertness; read labels, ask a doctor or pharmacist, and never mix alcohol with other drugs, which can multiply its effects, add their own, and cause serious harm or death.

Alcohol and the law

Courts and the Commissioner both impose penalties. If arrested for driving under the influence you will be asked to take a blood, breath or urine test; failing suspends your license at least 45 days and requires installing and keeping an ignition interlock device as a condition of reinstatement for at least six months or more depending on prior offenses. Under 21 you face zero tolerance for any measurable alcohol, 0.02 percent or more, on public roads and private property alike; a test at 0.02 or higher is reported to the Commissioner and brings a suspension of at least 45 days with an interlock required at least one year or more. At any age, refusing a test suspends your license at least 45 days with an interlock for at least one year or more. DMV also suspends the license or the privilege to get one of any 16- or 17-year-old, and of unlicensed teens and permit holders, for any conviction of violating a teen driving restriction, speeding, reckless driving, street racing or using a phone or texting device: graduated-license violations (passenger limits, curfew, public service or vanpool vehicles, more passengers than belts, a motorcycle passenger within six months of the endorsement) bring a 30-day suspension with a $175 restoration fee and court fines, and for second and later offenses six months or until 18, whichever is longer; phone or text use brings 30 days, then 90 days, then six months; speeding (20 mph over) brings 60 days, 90 days, then six months; reckless driving brings six months, then one year, then one year, each with fines or up to 30 days (first) or one year (later) in jail; and street racing brings six months, then one year, then one year, with fines or up to a year in jail. Someone under 18 cannot be treated as a youthful offender for negligent homicide with a vehicle, evading responsibility after a crash with death or serious injury, or driving under the influence, and a youthful offender's record for reckless driving, driving under suspension, evading responsibility after property damage or minor injury, street racing, or disregarding an officer's signal or speeding to elude one is disclosed to DMV for suspension. Police stop drivers with flashing blue or blue and red lights or an audible signal: drive as close as safely possible to the right edge or curb, clear of any intersection, stop and park; limit everyone's movements; keep your hands on the wheel and passengers' hands in view; produce your license or registration only when asked; keep doors closed and stay inside unless asked out; at night turn on the interior light after stopping; and do not argue at the scene, since violations and crimes are decided in court. The Operator Retraining Program for repeat offenders covers vehicle operation, how attitude feeds aggressive driving and the need for safe habits: anyone 24 or younger with two or more moving or suspension violations, and anyone 25 or older with three or more, must complete it; offenses that can send a 16- or 17-year-old include violating permit requirements, graduated-license laws such as passenger limits and curfew, and using a phone or device outside permitted uses; and another moving violation within three years of completion brings a suspension of at least 30 days.

Speed and stopping

Speed limits reflect road design and vehicle types and account for what you cannot see, such as side roads and driveways, and are set for ideal conditions, so you must slow when the road is wet or icy, visibility is poor or traffic is heavy, and you can be ticketed for driving too fast for conditions even at the limit. Check the speedometer often, since people judge speed badly, especially after leaving a high-speed road for local streets. Faster speed means more distance to turn, slow or stop, and stopping from 60 mph takes not twice but over three times the distance of stopping from 30. Driving much slower than traffic is as bad as speeding, bunching vehicles behind you and forcing passes, so pull over when safe to let them by, drive faster or use slower roads. Know well ahead when you will have to stop, since sudden stops signal inattention, risk skids and make it harder for followers to avoid you; slowing or changing lanes early may avoid the stop or make it gradual; and always stop completely at a stop sign or line. On dry pavement with good tires and brakes, reacting and stopping from 50 mph takes about 400 feet, a city block, and from 30 mph about 200 feet, nearly half a block, so if you cannot see 400 feet ahead you may be unsafe at 50, and 200 feet at 30.

Right-of-way

Where users may meet without signs or signals, rules say who yields; the law gives no one the right-of-way and you must do everything possible to avoid striking a pedestrian or vehicle. Obey an officer's signals even against a signal; yield always to pedestrians in a marked or unmarked crosswalk and to bicyclists and pedestrians where a bike path crosses the road; give a pedestrian with a guide dog or white cane the absolute right-of-way without honking, which can confuse or frighten; turning left, yield to oncoming traffic going straight; entering a traffic circle or rotary, yield to drivers already in it; at an intersection with no stop sign, yield sign or signal, yield to vehicles from the right; at a four-way stop the first to arrive goes first after a complete stop, and among simultaneous arrivals the vehicle on the right goes first; entering from a driveway, alley or roadside, yield to vehicles on the main road; never enter an intersection unless you can get through without stopping, waiting until traffic ahead clears; overtaking a vehicle going your way, yield to it even as it slows or stops; yield to a bus going your way when it signals properly; yield to police, fire, ambulance and other emergency vehicles using a siren, air horn or red or blue flashing light by pulling to the right edge or as near as possible and stopping until they pass unless a state or local officer or firefighter directs otherwise, driving through an intersection first if you are in one; stop for a school bus stopped with red lights flashing whether on your side, the opposite side or at an intersection you approach, except when it is coming toward you on a road separated by a median or physical barrier, and after the lights stop watch for children beside the road and wait until they have left it; and yield to trains crossing the road.

Roundabouts, U-turns and parking

Roundabouts are intersections controlled by a central island with one or two lanes; entering traffic yields to circulating traffic, and each approach has a yield sign and often a yield line. Slow on approach, yield to traffic in the roundabout and pedestrians in the crosswalk, choose the lane the signs and markings show for your movement, enter at a sufficient gap, signal right as you near your exit, yield to pedestrians on the exit leg, and never stop inside to let others enter. U-turns are not legal everywhere, so check for prohibiting signs and never make one on an expressway; signal left, stop, check approaching traffic and proceed into the outside or right-hand lane of the opposite direction. A parked vehicle must be no hazard, far enough from travel lanes and visible from both directions: park in designated areas; always set the parking brake and leave a manual in gear or an automatic in park; check traffic before opening the door, get out on the curb side if possible and shut the door quickly; never leave keys in a parked vehicle and lock it; on a road park as far from traffic and as close to any curb as you can; and on a hill turn the wheels sharply toward the side of the road or curb so a rolling vehicle rolls away from traffic. Colored curbs and signs limit parking, and you may not park in an intersection; on a crosswalk or sidewalk; in a construction area where you block traffic; within 25 feet of a stop sign; within 25 feet of a pedestrian safety zone; within 10 feet of a fire hydrant; more than one foot from the curb; blocking a driveway, alley, private road or a lowered curb cut; on a bridge, overpass, tunnel or underpass; on the wrong side of the street; in a handicapped space without a plate or placard; beside a parked vehicle (double parking); on railroad tracks; where a sign forbids it; or in a bike lane.

Lights, horn and signals

Crashes happen when drivers do not see each other or do the unexpected, so show others where you are and what you plan. Headlights help others see you, and you may flash your high beams to announce yourself; turn them on whenever you have trouble seeing others, on rainy, snowy or foggy days (by law, wipers on means headlights on), when it begins to get dark, whenever lights are needed, since parking lights are for parked vehicles only, and when driving away from a rising or setting sun. At night use high beams whenever no vehicle is oncoming, since they show twice as far, especially on unfamiliar roads, in construction areas and where people may line the road; dim within about one block of an oncoming vehicle; use low beams following another vehicle, in heavy traffic, and in fog, hard snow or rain where high beams glare back, with fog lights if you have them; and never drive on parking lights alone. If an oncoming driver keeps high beams on, flash yours quickly a couple of times, and if that fails look toward the right edge of the road to keep your course, never retaliating with your own brights, which blinds you both. High beams show about 400 feet ahead, so drive at a speed that lets you stop within that, about 50 mph; in very heavy rain, snow or thick fog you may see little more than 200 feet, and in a downpour that blinds you, pull off somewhere safe and wait; and at any hill or curve you cannot see past, adjust speed so you can stop for a stalled vehicle. The horn gets the attention of people not looking your way; without immediate danger a light tap suffices, when a pedestrian or bicyclist seems to be moving into your lane, when a driver you are passing starts to turn into your lane, or when a driver is inattentive or may not see you; sound a sharp blast when a child or older person is about to walk, run or ride into the street, when another vehicle may hit you, or when you have lost control and are moving toward someone; and never honk to hurry someone, to point out an error, to greet a friend, near blind pedestrians or near horses. Others expect you to keep doing what you are doing, so signal by lights or hand before changing lanes, turning, merging or parking, every time even with no one in sight, at least three seconds before the move, but not too early: with streets, driveways or entrances between you and your turn, wait until you reach the last one, and if a vehicle is about to enter between you and your turn, wait until you pass it so its driver does not pull into your path; and cancel the signal after small turns that do not click it off. Brake lights warn of slowing, so slow as early as safely possible and tap the pedal three or four times before slowing where a follower would not expect it: turning off a road without turn or exit lanes, parking or turning just before an intersection, approaching an intersection where you will turn, and avoiding something ahead that the driver behind cannot see. Hand signals: arm straight out for a left turn, bent up for a right turn, bent down for slowing or stopping.

Vehicle emergencies and equipment failures

Every driver eventually faces an emergency, and preparation prevents serious outcomes. When your vehicle breaks down on a highway, make sure others can see it, since crashes come from stalled vehicles seen too late, and notify the authorities: get off the road and away from traffic if at all possible; turn on the flashers; if you cannot get off, stop where others have a clear view, not just over a hill or around a curve; place flares behind the vehicle so others can change lanes; without flares, stand safely beside the road and wave traffic around with a white cloth if you have one; never stand in the road or change a tire in a traffic lane; and lift the hood or tie a white cloth to the antenna, mirror or door handle. Follow the maintenance schedule to prevent failures. If the brakes fail, pump the pedal several times to build pressure; then pull the parking brake slowly so the rear wheels do not lock and skid, ready to release it if they do; then shift to lower gears and find a safe place to slow to a stop off the road, and never drive without brakes. In a blowout, hold the wheel tightly and keep straight, slow gradually with your foot off the gas and light braking, and pull off rather than stopping on the road. If the engine dies, grip the wheel firmly, since steering becomes hard but possible, and pull off; the brakes still work but need a very hard push. If the headlights fail, slow gradually and pull off as soon as possible, try the switch a few times, and if that fails use the flashers, signals or fog lights, and do not drive on. If the gas pedal sticks, keep your eyes on the road, shift quickly to neutral, pull off when safe and turn off the engine. Never turn the ignition to lock while moving, which locks the steering.

Avoiding collisions and skids

Many drivers panic and freeze before a collision, or act uselessly, yet there is almost always something to do: stop, turn or speed up. To stop quickly with anti-lock brakes (ABS), read the manual, then press the pedal as hard as you can and keep pressing, ignoring the pedal pushing back, since ABS works only while pressed; without ABS, braking too hard skids the car, so brake as hard as you can without locking, and if the wheels lock and the car begins to skid, let up quickly, then press again once the skid stops, repeating until stopped. You can usually turn faster than you can stop, so consider it, with both hands gripping the wheel and ready to keep control afterward, since some drivers steer out of one collision into another; always steer where you want to go; with ABS you can brake and turn without skidding; without ABS, brake, then let up and turn, since braking loads the front tires for a quicker turn, without locking the front wheels or turning so sharply that the car can only skid ahead; and running off the road generally beats a head-on crash. Speeding up may be best when a vehicle is about to hit you from the side or behind and there is room ahead, slowing once the danger passes. Any road safe when dry can be dangerous wet, snowy or icy, and high speed raises skid risk in sudden turns or stops; skids come from tires that no longer grip, usually from driving too fast for conditions, and a skidding vehicle cannot be controlled, so prevent skids. If one starts, stay off the brake, which will not work until the vehicle slows and could worsen the skid; steer in the direction you want to go, and as the vehicle straightens turn back the other way so it does not swing into a new skid; and keep correcting left and right until you are back under control.

Traffic crashes

Do not stop at a crash unless you are involved or emergency help has not arrived; keep driving and watching for people near the road, and never drive to a crash, fire or disaster to look, since you may block rescuers. If you are involved you must stop; with a parked vehicle, find the owner; if anyone is injured or killed, police must be notified, and leaving such a scene before police have spoken with you and gathered their information is a crime. Carry a basic emergency kit with flares, first aid supplies and tools. Try everything to avoid being hit, then to lessen injuries, above all with lap and shoulder belts. Hit from the rear, your body is thrown back, so press against the seat with your head on the restraint and be ready to brake so you are not pushed into another vehicle; hit from the side, you are thrown toward the impact, front air bags will not help and belts keep you behind the wheel, so be ready to steer or brake; about to be hit from the front, turn to make it a glancing blow or a miss, and since an air bag inflates and then deflates, be ready to keep the vehicle from a second collision with the belts holding you in place. At the scene, stop at or near the site and move a drivable vehicle off the road; do not stand or walk in traffic lanes; turn off the ignition of every wrecked vehicle and do not smoke, since fuel may have spilled; stay away from downed power lines; and use flares or warning devices to protect other traffic. If someone is injured, get help by making sure police and medical or rescue services are called, reporting any fire; do not move the injured unless a burning vehicle or oncoming traffic threatens them, since moving can worsen injuries; help first anyone not walking and talking, checking breathing and then bleeding; press directly on a wound with your hand or a cloth, which stops or slows almost any bleeding; give nothing to drink, not even water; and cover the injured with a blanket or coat against shock. To report, get the names and addresses of everyone involved and any witnesses, including the injured; exchange name, address, license number, vehicle plate, make, model and year, and insurance company and policy number; record vehicle damage; give information to police or officials on request; leave a visible note with the date, time and your contact information if you cannot find a parked vehicle's owner; and report to police any crash with injury, death or property damage.

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