It’s a scenario that has probably happened to you. You’re driving at night, and a police officer pulls you over for a broken headlight.

At the state Capitol on Friday, law enforcement and civil rights groups clashed over banning the stops.

When it comes to traffic enforcement, some drivers think police are too aggressive.

“The cops – they just trying to make that quota,” said Elvin Reeves, of Norwalk. “They’re trying to make that bag, man. I done got pulled over, like eight times.”

Civil rights groups are asking lawmakers to cut back on "non-safety" traffic stops for equipment failures. A bill would remove a single broken headlight or license plate lamp from the list of traffic infractions.

“Research from Connecticut itself shows that these stops do not make roads safer, yet they contribute to deep racial disparities and ineffectively prevent crime,” said Daniel Bodah, a senior fellow with the Vera Institute of Justice. “When police make minor traffic stops, they rarely recover weapons or solve serious crimes.”

The state of Oregon, as well as cities like Philadelphia and Denver, have already passed similar bans.

The bill would also clarify that license plates must be “substantially unobstructed” instead of “entirely unobstructed.”

“You have something around your plate that, say, advertises the college you went to and part of the word ‘Connecticut’ is blocked … the plate is not entirely unobstructed,” said Ken Barone with the Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project. “We have seen a few thousand people every year in Connecticut stopped because the plate is partially obstructed.”

License plates could also be displayed in the rear window, as long as they are clearly legible.

Minority drivers told the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee that even minor traffic stops can be triggering.

“Even though I have insurance, even though my car is registered, even though I have a driver’s license, in those five to 10 minutes when an officer goes back to his car, my trauma takes over and I believe I’m going to go back to jail,” said Anderson Curtis.

The bill would also give drivers an extra 30 days to renew their vehicle registration.

Police argued that having just one headlight is a serious safety hazard, especially since a near-record 330 people died on Connecticut roads last year.

“In addition to the confusion often caused to oncoming motorists, the lack of two working headlights negatively impacts the ability of the operator to see roadway obstructions and other roadway users, especially bicyclists and pedestrians,” the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association testified.

To address safety concerns, this year’s proposal is far less sweeping than previous versions. During the last two years, lawmakers considered banning “secondary traffic violations” such as an expired registration or tinted windows.

It came after a 2019 traffic stop ended with Wethersfield police killing a teenager who was pulled over for “heavily tinted windows.” Prosecutors later ruled that the shooting justified.

The Police Chiefs Association said it would agree to giving drivers a warning for headlight violations, but only for the first offense.

Drivers who spoke to News 12 felt that was a workable compromise.

“A warning is, you know, fairer than getting a ticket,” said Jocelyne Gabriel, of Norwalk. “Because sometimes you can have the light off – you don’t even know.”

You can submit written testimony HERE.

The Judiciary Committee has until April 11 to take action on the bill.