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Committee backs motorcycle-safety bill that would temporarily suspend endorsements for dangerous behavior
Summary
The committee unanimously recommended the first substitute to House Bill 190 after sponsors and law-enforcement witnesses described recent motorcycle fatalities and proposed 90-day suspensions of motorcycle endorsements for specific infractions including lane splitting, wheelies and hiding license plates.
The Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee unanimously advanced first substitute House Bill 190, a motorcycle-safety measure that would impose a 90-day suspension of a motorcycle endorsement for certain specified infractions.
Representative Thurston, presenting the bill, said the measure is aimed at a subset of high-risk behaviors rather than creating new crimes. "This bill does not make anything newly illegal, and it doesn't increase any criminality or fines," Thurston said. The bill targets three behaviors identified by law enforcement: lane splitting on highways, exhibition riding such as wheelies, and intentionally hiding or not displaying license plates.
Lisa from the Utah Department of Transportation provided data context in the committee hearing; she reported that motorcycle fatalities reached a 15-year high in 2024 with 53 fatalities compared with 42 in 2023 and noted that younger riders aged 20 to 29 are the most prevalent age group in crashes. Representative Thurston said that over the last five years "the motorcycle driver was at fault in 67 percent of fatal crashes where a motorcycle was involved." The sponsor described the sanction as a "time out" intended to encourage safer behavior: a 90-day suspension of the motorcycle endorsement while leaving the driver's license intact.
Colonel Rapich, Utah Highway Patrol deputy commissioner at the Department of Public Safety, told the committee the agency supports the bill and has difficulty enforcing aggressive motorcycle behavior because of speed and evasion. "When they run, they know they don't want to be identified, and so they will intentionally obstruct their license plate when they're doing this," Rapich said, supporting the provision targeting hidden plates.
The committee considered and adopted an amendment removing a requirement that license plates be displayed in a horizontal position to accommodate modern motorcycle designs; Representative Thurston described that amendment as "friendly." Senator Ripsen moved the bill out with a favorable recommendation; the committee voted unanimously to advance the measure.
The bill includes gradations for repeated offenses: the sponsor explained that if a motorcyclist's endorsement is already suspended, a subsequent offense during that suspension could lead to suspension of the driver's license. No specific fiscal analysis or implementation timeline was given in committee testimony.
