AN ACT CONCERNING FAILURE TO MOVE OVER FOR AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF THE OPERATOR OR OTHER OCCUPANT OF THE EMERGENCY VEHICLE.

SB 1388 increases penalties for drivers who fail to move over for emergency vehicles and cause death. It reclassifies such violations as first-degree manslaughter (a class B felony) instead of a civil infraction, making it punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $15,000. This applies when a driver does not move over for an emergency vehicle (as required by Connecticut’s §14-283b) and that failure results in the death of the vehicle’s operator or occupant. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, and directly affects drivers whose negligence causes fatal collisions with emergency vehicles.