History of the Motor Vehicle Department
The reason for the founding of the Motor Vehicle Department was simple: The burden of administering Connecticut's automotive laws and regulations had become too vast and too complex for the limited facilities of the office of the Secretary of the State. Early in 1917 the then Governor Marcus H. Holcomb nominated Robbins B. Stoeckel, of Norfolk, to be Connecticut's first Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. Mr. Stoeckel assumed charge of the new department when it opened June 1st in three rooms on the third floor of the State Capitol.
In
1918, during its first calendar year in existence, the Motor Vehicle
Department collected $1,281,719 in total receipts, registered 92,605
vehicles, licensed 103,657 drivers, analyzed 1,987 traffic accidents
of all kinds, and recorded the traffic deaths of 209 human beings.
Also during 1918, Connecticuts roads were being patrolled for the
first time by MVD (Motor Vehicle Department) inspectors.
In
1919, the State Legislature established a MVD highway patrol,
authorizing an increase to 30 uniformed men equipped with
motorcycles, as well as to establish MVD inspection stations at the
New York and Massachusetts state lines to weigh and inspect trucks
on a 24-hour schedule.
In
1921, the State Police took over driver-license examining, but this
was later returned to the MVD in the year 1931.
In
1927, 16 and 17 year olds could now obtain a driver's license where
previously only 18 years old could obtain such licenses.
In
1932, the State Police and MVD cooperated to inaugurate a system of
warnings for traffic violations not serious enough to warrant
arrest.
In
1947, the department pioneered the world's first Point System for
the control of careless or dangerous drivers. Under this system a
driver is judged by the number of points he accumulates against his
driving record on file in the department. Basically, the system
operates on the condition that the more points a driver has the
worse his record is. MVD action ranges from warning letters to
friendly conferences to outright license revocations.
In
1948, the nation's first and the world's first permanent type
reflectorized registration plates were issued to prevent dark-hour
accidents by having the plates reflect headlights of approaching
vehicles.
In
1963, the MVD instituted inspection of vehicles 10 or more years old
when transferred from one owner to another as a prerequisite for
registration.
Today,
with approximately 2.7 million registered motor vehicles and 2.3
million licensed operators in Connecticut, the Motor Vehicle
Department continues its objective to protect life and property by
the administration of the motor vehicle laws; the regulation,
discipline and education of motor vehicle operators; and the
obtaining of revenue through licensing to provide funds for the
construction and maintenance of state highways.