Committee eases some traffic penalties, merges insurance offenses to reduce court burden

Daniel Strong, director of the Sentencing Commission, described three traffic-code amendments recommended by the commission’s anomalies subcommittee.

First, two class C misdemeanors tied to traffic offenses (e.g., school‑zone speeding in a lower range and certain careless driving) would be reduced to infractions to eliminate mandatory court appearances for minor violations that prosecutors already routinely treat as infractions in practice. "These require mandatory court appearance when they're class C misdemeanors," Strong said, noting that many cases are then routinely reduced by prosecutors.

Second, the proposal merges the "no proof of insurance" and "uninsured vehicle" statutes into a single class C misdemeanor for driving a vehicle that is uninsured, with an affirmative defense allowing dismissal if the driver proves coverage later (for example, with an insurer letter). Presenters said modern verification methods (phone lookups, statewide databases) have reduced the need for two separate offenses.

Ryan Robinson, a West Valley City prosecutor, said changing to infractions will reduce court attendance burdens for working people, school‑age parents and others, while maintaining a strong fine schedule for accountability. Audrey Baron, a Salt Lake City resident who received a criminal summons for a school‑zone-ticket, testified the current practice can impose disproportionate stress and disruption.

Representative Sandberg moved to favorably recommend the criminal‑penalty amendments; the committee approved the motion by voice vote (unanimous). Sponsors said the intent is to reduce unnecessary court burdens without eliminating accountability.