(a) Each person who holds a motor vehicle operator's license issued on and after August 1, 2008, and who is sixteen or seventeen years of age shall comply with the following requirements:

(1) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, for the period of six months after the date of issuance of such license, such person shall not transport more than (A) such person's parents or legal guardian, at least one of whom holds a motor vehicle operator's license, or (B) one passenger who is a driving instructor licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles, or a person twenty years of age or older who has been licensed to operate, for at least four years preceding the time of being transported, a motor vehicle of the same class as the motor vehicle being operated and who has not had his or her motor vehicle operator's license suspended by the commissioner during such four-year period;

(2) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, for the period beginning six months after the date of issuance of such license and ending one year after the date of issuance of such license, such person shall not transport any passenger other than as permitted under subdivision (1) of this subsection and any additional member or members of such person's immediate family;

(3) No such person shall operate any motor vehicle for which a public passenger endorsement, as defined in section 14-1, is required in accordance with the provisions of section 14-44 or a vanpool vehicle, as defined in section 14-1;

(4) No such person shall transport more passengers in a motor vehicle than the number of seat safety belts permanently installed in such motor vehicle;

(5) No such person issued a motorcycle endorsement shall transport any passenger on a motorcycle for a period of six months after the date of issuance;

(6) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, no such person shall operate a motor vehicle on any highway, as defined in section 14-1, at or after 11:00 p.m. until and including 5:00 a.m. of the following day unless (A) such person is traveling for his or her employment or school or religious activities, or (B) there is a medical necessity for such travel; and

(7) No such person shall transport any passenger on an autocycle other than as permitted under subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection.

(b) A person who holds a motor vehicle operator's license and who is sixteen or seventeen years of age shall not be subject to the restrictions on the number or type of passengers specified in subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of this section, or to the restrictions specified in subdivision (6) of said subsection (a), if such person is: An active member of a volunteer fire company or department, a volunteer ambulance service or company or an emergency medical service organization and such person is responding to, or returning from, an emergency or is carrying out such person's duties as such active member; or an assigned driver in a Safe Ride program sponsored by the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts of America or other national public service organization.

(c) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of subsection (a) of this section. Such regulations may provide exceptions to the provisions of subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section for a single parent under the age of eighteen for the purposes of transporting the child of such parent to day care, child care and education facilities, medical appointments, and for such other purposes as may be determined by the commissioner.

(d) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall be deemed to have committed an infraction. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall suspend the motor vehicle operator's license of any person who violates the provisions of subsection (a) of this section for a period of thirty days for a first violation, and for a period of six months or until such person attains the age of eighteen years, whichever is longer, for a second violation.

(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the provisions of this section in effect July 31, 2008, shall be applicable to any person who is sixteen or seventeen years of age and who has been issued a motor vehicle operator's license prior to August 1, 2008.

(P.A. 03-171, S. 16; 03-265, S. 22; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, S. 94; P.A. 05-54, S. 2; P.A. 06-130, S. 9; 06-196, S. 282; P.A. 07-167, S. 7; P.A. 08-32, S. 4; 08-150, S. 45, 46; P.A. 09-187, S. 1, 32; P.A. 14-130, S. 5; P.A. 15-46, S. 11; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 220.)

History: P.A. 03-171 effective October 1, 2003, but not applicable to persons 16 or 17 years of age who applied for a learner's permit on or before October 1, 2003; P.A. 03-265 amended Subsec. (a)(1) to add provision re certain persons 20 years of age or older that may be transported by 16 or 17-year-old holder of operator's license for 3-month period after date of issuance of license, effective January 1, 2004, pursuant to June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3 changed the effective date of section from October 1, 2003, to January 1, 2004, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 05-54 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting “person who holds” for “holder of” and inserting “and”, amending Subdiv. (1) by substituting “Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, for the” for “For a” and deleting “one passenger who shall be”, by adding Subpara. (A) designator, substituting “parents” for “parent” and “at least one of whom” for “who” and deleting “and is at least twenty-five years of age,” and by adding “or (B) not more than one passenger who is”, amending Subdiv. (2) by substituting “Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, for” for “For” and adding Subdiv. (6) re prohibition re driving at or after midnight until and including 5:00 a.m., added new Subsec. (b) providing that restrictions for 16 or 17-year-old drivers shall not apply if driver is an active member of volunteer fire company, volunteer ambulance service or emergency medical service organization and is responding to an emergency, and redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) and (c) as Subsecs. (c) and (d); P.A. 06-130 added Subpara. (C) to Subsec. (a)(6) re assigned drivers in Safe Ride programs, effective June 2, 2006; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(1)(B), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 07-167 amended Subsec. (a)(5) by deleting “of such license” re date of issuance and making technical changes; P.A. 08-32 amended Subsec. (a) to change three-month passenger restriction to six months in Subdiv. (1), to change three-to-six month restriction period to six months to one year in Subdiv. (2) and to change starting time of curfew from midnight to 11:00 p.m. in Subdiv. (6), amended Subsec. (c) to authorize adoption of regulations providing exceptions to Subsec. (a)(2) for single parents under the age of eighteen for certain child care purposes and amended Subsec. (d) to make suspension of license for a violation of Subsec. (a) mandatory and to specify suspension period of 30 days for a first violation, and six months or until person reaches age of eighteen, whichever is longer, for a second violation, effective August 1, 2008; P.A. 08-150 amended Subsec. (a) to apply provisions to operator's licenses issued on or after August 1, 2008, and added Subsec. (e) to make provisions of section in effect July 31, 2008, applicable to any person sixteen or seventeen years of age who has been issued a motor vehicle operator's license prior to August 1, 2008, effective August 1, 2008; P.A. 09-187 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to delete former Subpara. (c) re curfew exemption for assigned drivers in a Safe Rides program, amended Subsec. (b) to exempt drivers in such program from curfew and passenger restrictions and make technical changes and amended Subsec. (c) to make a technical change, effective July 8, 2009; P.A. 14-130 amended Subsec. (a)(3) by replacing “public passenger transportation permit” with “public passenger endorsement, as defined in section 14-1”, effective June 6, 2014; P.A. 15-46 amended Subsec. (a) by adding Subdiv. (7) re transport of passengers on autocycles, effective July 1, 2015; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (b) to specify that eligible person may drive when returning from an emergency, effective June 30, 2015.