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Senate debates wide-ranging traffic code changes including speed limits, left-lane rules and 'careless driving' enhancement
Summary
Senate Bill 17 would change Utah's traffic code: allow limited use of unmarked patrol vehicles on certain roads, require DOT engineering studies to set speed limits and permit higher maximums on some routes, add a yield requirement for left-lane drivers who impede traffic, shorten the following-distance rule to two seconds and define 'careless driving' as an enhanced offense for multiple violations while distracted; the measure was circled for further work after members requested clarification.
Senate Bill 17, presented by Senator Jenkins, proposes comprehensive revisions to Utah's traffic code, including speed-limit authority, left-lane yield requirements and a new careless-driving enhancement for multiple moving violations committed while distracted.
Jenkins said the bill would allow routine patrolling by unmarked vehicles on roads with four or more lanes, require the Department of Transportation to establish speed limits based on traffic and engineering studies and, where permitted, raise some maximums (the floor debate referenced changes toward 80 mph in rural I‑15 stretches and 70 mph along the Wasatch Front). "This authorizes the Department of Transportation to do that study," Jenkins said, describing the federal manual guidance to set limits near the 85th percentile of traffic speed.
The proposal would also require a driver in the left lane who is impeding the free flow of traffic to yield when overtaken in that lane, and it would reduce a following-distance standard from three seconds to two seconds to reflect driving realities Jenkins described. The bill defines careless driving to include committing two or more traffic violations during a continuous driving period while engaged in distracting activities such as using a wireless phone, eating or attending to personal grooming.
Several senators sought clarification on the left-lane yield language and the proposed speed-limit increases. Senator Bridal Bull said she had diagrammed possible readings of the provision and recommended an offline discussion to avoid misapplication; other senators suggested circling the bill to refine ambiguous drafting. The motion to circle passed and the bill was set aside for further work.
Why it matters: SB17 touches on enforcement practices, driver behavior regulation and departmental authority over speed-setting, with potential effects on road safety, enforcement practices and rural/urban travel speeds.
What’s next: Senators asked for redrafting and off-floor consultation; the bill was circled for additional work and returned to the second-reading calendar pending clarification.
