The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-06-01
new MOTOR LAW
TO Benefit ALL
OF repair men
Bona Eide Rebuilders of Mo
tors Can Now Use Public
Highways for Test

The legislature has passed re-
v1eed motor vehicle la =. This law
does not. depart from the long es-
tablished principles which have been
worked out in Connecticut, and have
been later adopted by over two-thirds
of the other states.
In the new law appears the term
public service motor vehicle" The
definition is a new one. coined by the
trainers of the law, and seems to mt
the situation. Other states have
coutented themselves with referring
to such vehicles as "jitneys," in their
statutes, and the courts have then
been called upon to furnish defin-
ition of "jitney'' for the statute.
Hereafter 'tjitneys," in addition to
the regular, motor venice fees. will be
obliged to obtain special license at
a fee of So, and the operators Will
have to obtain q special license cost
ing S. Before receiving this IL
cense the operator must obtain from
the chief of police of city, or from
q se,ectman of the town in which he
resides, a certificate stating that the
official knows no reason for refusing
q public service motor vehicle opera
tors license to the applicant. This
will prevent the granting of licenses
to undesirable characters.
Cities. towns and bororons are Civ
en- the right to regulate traffic routes
and public stands for these vehicles,
and to enforce regulations in regard
to their sanitary condition. No
passenger will be allowed to ride upon
the running boards, mudguards, or
hood of a 'tjitney," AMI the interior
of the same must be lighted at
night A special marker will be pro-
vided.
For the purpose of allowing bona
fide repair men and rebuilders of
motor vehicles to test out upon. the
public highways the vehicles in their
charge. licenses will now be issued
to such men upon practically the same
terms as to dealers. In the past a
repair nah has been forced to obtain
a sub-agency for a motor vehicle in
order to trans t his business.
Dealers and repair men hereafter
may use the motor vehicles owned or
controlled by them fer any legiti-
mate purpose connected with their
business, or. fc their private use. The
only limitation is that such vehicles
may not be used in livery service or
in any transportation business for
hire A dealer, however; can loan
set of markers for period of five
days. This will allow the purchaser
to operate his motor vehicle at once.
and enable him to drive to Hartford
for his registration plates if he de-
sires.
In the past there has been some
- nf col ar-c mn har
IN the future the limit of mum Der
plates issued to a dealer upon any
one registration will be twelve pairs.
A dealer may register an agency in
more than one town. however, and
may also obtain not to exceed TWEEN
sty-five pairs of special number plates
to be used for the purpose of driving
new motor vehicles, from the point of
delivery by the manufacturer, to the
dealers place of business.
The minimum fee for a dealer is
$50. which includes five pairs of num-
Der plates. He will pay. $40 a pair
for number plates in excess of five,
up to the limit of twelve.
Motor vehicle traffic regulations
have been changed as follows:
Sec. 20 . Co Each driver of
. motor vehicle approaching any in
tersecting street or highway shall
grant the right of way at such inter
section to any vehicle approaching
from his right, provided where traffic
officers are stationed they shall have
power to regulate traffic.
Applicants for a motor vehicle OPP
orators license, in the future, will
have to demonstrate to the commits
sioner, or to an inspector, that they
have sufficient knowledge of a motor
vehicle to enable them to operate one
with reasonable safety, unless the ap-
plicant has held Connecticut oper-
ators license during the preceding
year.
Dazzling headlights are controlled
as follows: ANY light thrown d.
rectly ahead or sideways shall be SO
arranged that no dazzling rays OF
beams of reflected light, from 1t or
from any reflector, SHALL at any time,
be more than three and one-half feet
above the ground on a level road al
distance of seventy five feet ahead
of the vehicle mo spotlight shall
be used when another approaching
vehicle is in sight, except when pro-
.jecting Its rays directly on the ground
at distance not exceeding thirty
feet in front Of the vehicle using such
spotlight and to the right of the
center of the highway
Commercial motor vehicles of over
two tons capacity will hereafter carry
q plate showing the maximum car
rying capacity of the vehicle. The
wheels of such vehicles must be sc
construed that no metal comes In
contact with the surface of the road
Vehicles so constructed that the OPP
orator has not free views of the
road to the rear must be equipped
with o mirror, to give a reflected
view of the highway and approach
ing vehicles.
The fees for commercial motor ve-
hfcles above eight tons have been in
creased to 500 for each additional
ton above eight The increase is in
tended to discourage the use of ex-
cessively heavy motor trucks, as such
trucks break down all highways ex-
cept, the heaviest.
In the lection covering the subject
of "prima facie evidence of reckless
driving" a rule has been inserted
providing that a speed of twenty miles
an hour through thickly settled por-
lions of city or town, If continued
for distance of one-quarter of 9
mile, shall be deemed prima facie
evidence Of reckless driving.
No motor vehicle which with its
load, exceeds twenty-five thousand
pounds weight 1.ill be permitted up
on the highways of the state except