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Utah Senate unanimously passes bill allowing households to exclude high-risk drivers from family policies
Summary
Senate Bill 225 allows families to obtain insurance excluding a household driver who cannot get separate coverage, intended to reduce the number of uninsured drivers; senators said the bill balances coverage access and liability concerns and it passed with a large majority.
Senator Hilliard explained Senate Bill 225, which responds to situations where a household member (often a 16–17-year-old) loses driving privileges or cannot obtain separate auto insurance. As he described it, "What this bill provides is that you now if the son cannot get insurance, you can still get an insurance up for yourself without that requirement." The bill permits a household policy to exclude a listed driver when that driver cannot procure separate coverage, while keeping injured passengers covered under the household policy's PIP and other protections.
Sponsors framed the measure as helping families who otherwise face canceled policies or sharply increased premiums because of one high-risk household member. The bill was supported in committee and on the floor as a consumer-protection measure intended to reduce uninsured driving. Senator Bramble disclosed a personal connection and declared a conflict when voting but recorded an aye.
Final passage was approved on the floor; the presiding officer recorded 'Senate Bill 225 have received 28 yay votes, 0 nay votes, 1 being absent' and the bill will be forwarded to the House.
The floor debate clarified that excluding an uninsurable driver may leave household members exposed to liability in specific circumstances (for example, if an excluded person drives and causes harm), but the measure was advanced as a pragmatic response to affordability and coverage problems for families.
