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House approves optional driver's‑license emergency contact database
Summary
Lawmakers passed HB 21 to allow drivers to register up to two emergency contacts with the DMV; the optional database is intended to speed family notifications after crashes and was passed 62–7.
The Utah House on Jan. 24 approved an optional emergency contact database enabling drivers to provide up to two people to be notified if they are seriously injured in a crash or otherwise unable to communicate.
Representative Polson, sponsor of HB 21, said the measure was suggested by a constituent and modeled on programs adopted by other states. He cited Ohio and New Jersey examples and recounted accounts of delayed family notification after serious crashes to explain the bill’s purpose. "It allows a person holding a license... to provide the driver's license division the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of no more than 2 emergency contact persons," Polson said, and emphasized the program is optional.
Under the bill, law enforcement must make a good-faith effort to notify the listed contacts, and the information may be shared with other public safety workers. The DMV told sponsors it could offer an online option to add and update contact information without extra hassle during renewal.
Members asked how many states have similar systems and whether the program would cost the state. Polson said other states have adopted such registries and that the program is part of an ongoing national trend; opponents raised budget and implementation questions but the bill's primary aim is notification improvement.
The House approved HB 21 by a vote of 62–7. It will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.
What to watch: How the DMV implements an online option and whether the database will be rolled out with outreach so road users are aware of the voluntary service.
