Utah House committee appoves bill to let newly-licensed teens drive with one friend
Road Trip
By Benjamin Wood @BjaminWood
CAPITOL HILL—Utah teenagers in their first months of driving would be able to give rides to one friend under a bill that earned committee approval on Thursday.
The bill, sponsored by Morgan Republican Rep. Kera Birkeland, amends an existing state statute that requires newly-licensed minors to wait six months before driving with non-family passengers, a safety provision intended to build competency behind the wheel. And like many of the bills sponsored by Utah lawmakers on the topic of driving privileges, Birkeland said she was motivated by personal inconvenience, in this case a $200 ticket that her 16-year-old daughter received during a traffic stop.
"The majority of Utahns don't follow this law," Birkeland said. "A lot of the kids that I represent in the rural community, they live 45 minutes [from] Layton, Ogden, wherever. They drive and if they’re going someplace, they’re going with friends."
Birkeland originally sought to allow any number of non-family passengers to ride with a teenage driver, but said she settled on the "compromise" of allowing just one friend in the car. While acknowledging the safety risks inherent with young drivers—who demonstrate a far higher rate of serious traffic collisions than their more mature counterparts—Birkeland argued that there is a competing safety concern with sending children onto Utah's roads by themselves, and noted the inconvenience of teenagers having to drive separate vehicles to the same events and activities.
"I think we are still within the national guidelines of safe driving while still allowing families that flexibility," she said.
Members of the House Transportation Committee voted 7-5 for the bill, HB351, though multiple committee members expressed apprehension with softening the state's graduated license rules. The committee also heard testimony in opposition from a representative of the Utah Parent Teacher Association and a Utah parent, Sandra Mays, who said she was already nervous about children being allowed to drive at 16—some countries set the minimum driving age at 18—and the potential for minors to be impulsive and distracted behind the wheel, particularly when traveling with friends.
"I don't think carpooling to a Halloween party is worth risking your life," Mays said. "Six months—I don't think it's that long of a time and it's worth avoiding a really bad accident."
But Rep. Ariel Defay, R-Kaysville, argued that children's social dynamics have changed and that they need get out and spend time with their peers. She suggested that getting kids off of their phones and into a private automobile with each other is necessary for their development.
"I think deterring children from spending time together is not something we should be looking at right now," Defay said.
HB351 will now move to the full House for its consideration.
About The Author
Benjamin Wood
Lifelong Utahn Benjamin Wood has worn the mantle of City Weekly's news editor since 2021. He studied journalism at Utah State University and previously wrote for The Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News and Entertainment Weekly
More by Benjamin Wood
-
"It's OK to ask cars to slow down": Utah Transportation Commission launches SB195 review of SLC's street safety efforts.
Pedal to the Metal
- May 9, 2025
-
Salt Lake City adopts LGBTQ and Juneteeth flags, sidestepping Utah's new Pride ban.
Banner Yet Wave
- May 7, 2025
-
SLC's Main Library invites public to reopening of rooftop terrace on May 17.
View from the Top
- May 2, 2025
- More »
Latest in News
Readers also liked…
-
Raise a glass for E.L.T Harrison, architect of the Beerhive building on Main
Small Lake City
- Oct 11, 2023
-
Davis County's unsheltered are freezing to death in the name of Christ.
Small Lake City
- Dec 4, 2024
