Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rural Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate debates narrow hardship‑driver permit for rural teens; sponsors propose tight limits
Summary
Second substitute SB125 would allow a narrowly defined hardship driving permit for non‑urban youth for school‑ and work‑related travel after driver's education and with parental permission. Sponsors said they expect very few applicants; senators raised safety and enforcement concerns and asked for amendments to restrict freeway use and to give licensing discretion.
Senator Blackcomb introduced a second substitute addressing a narrow hardship driver permit for youth living in remote, non‑urban areas.
The proposed permit would be available after a youth completes driver education and passes the driving test, and would be limited to school‑ and work‑related trips within a 50‑mile radius of the youth’s residence. The bill prohibits driving into urban counties (>25,000 population) or cities of more than 10,000 people and requires parental permission. "We, at least the anticipation is that there'll probably only be 10 of these permits in the entire state of Utah," the sponsor said, describing the measure as targeted to very small populations in unusual circumstances.
Floor questions centered on enforcement and safety: senators asked whether young drivers could legally use interstates and how counties would identify restricted permits; several suggested adding licensing‑department discretion to deny permits and to craft amendments exempting interstate use or major highways. The sponsor said he would be open to amendments and that the division issuing permits would have review authority under the bill as drafted.
Provenance: Discussion and roll call recorded at SEG 3862–SEG 4266.
