Sharing the road in Connecticut

By the end of this topic you can

• You can recognize when a pedestrian is legally crossing and must be given the right of way.
• You can pass bicyclists and scooter riders at a legal distance.
• You can keep out of a truck's blind spots.
• You can react correctly to emergency vehicles and railroad warnings.

What you need to know and understand

• Drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked and unmarked crosswalks.
• In Connecticut, a pedestrian at the curb who raises a hand toward traffic is signaling to cross, and you must yield.
• You must not pass a vehicle that has stopped at a crosswalk to let someone cross.
• Pass bicyclists, electric bicycle riders and electric scooter riders with at least 3 feet of space.
• The area around a truck where the driver cannot see you is called the No-Zone.
• Pull right and stop for emergency vehicles using sirens or flashing red or blue lights.
• Since October 1, 2025, a driver who fails to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk can be fined up to $750.

People on foot

At crosswalks without signals or police control, you must slow down or stop for anyone crossing. Connecticut law also counts someone as crossing when they step up to the curb and raise a hand toward traffic, or when they move part of their body, a wheelchair, cane, stroller, bicycle or a dog on a leash into the crosswalk.

If the car ahead of you has stopped at a crosswalk, assume someone is crossing in front of it and do not pass. Once a pedestrian has started crossing on a signal, they keep the right of way until they reach the far side, even if you are turning.

Bikes, scooters and motorcycles

• Leave at least 3 feet when passing a bicyclist or electric scooter rider. Wait behind them if there is no room.
• Look for bicyclists in lanes marked with sharrows, and never park in a bike lane.
• Yield where a bike path crosses the road.
• Motorcycles are small and easy to miss. Check mirrors and blind spots twice before changing lanes or turning left across their path.
• Leave extra following distance behind two-wheelers, which can stop quickly.

Trucks and buses

Large trucks have big blind spots on both sides, directly behind and just in front. If you cannot see the driver's face in the truck's mirror, the driver cannot see you. Do not linger beside a truck, and do not cut in close in front of one, since it needs far more distance to stop. Give way to a bus in your direction that signals to pull out.

Emergency vehicles and trains

1. Hear a siren or see flashing red or blue lights? Check where it is coming from.
2. Clear any intersection you are in.
3. Pull as far right as you can and stop.
4. Wait until it passes, unless an officer or firefighter directs you otherwise.
5. At railroad crossings, stop for flashing lights or lowering gates and wait until the gates rise.

Common mistakes

• Ignoring a pedestrian who has raised a hand at the curb. In Connecticut that is a legal signal to cross.
• Squeezing past a bicyclist on a narrow road. Wait until you can give 3 feet.
• Driving alongside a truck for a long time. Pass steadily or drop back.
• Passing a car stopped at a crosswalk. Someone may be walking in front of it.

Test yourself: Sharing the road in Connecticut

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Connecticut Road Test Checklist
• Connecticut 8 Hour Safe Driving Practices Course
• CT Permit Test