Committee advances parent‑taught driver‑education option with logs and guardrails after safety debate; favorably recommended 10–1

Representative Nicholeen P. Peck asked the House Transportation Standing Committee to adopt Third Substitute HB 464, a measure adding a parent‑led option for the required behind‑the‑wheel portion of driver education while imposing specific documentation and training requirements.

Peck said the substitute adds a third option on the DLD application for parents who wish to provide behind‑the‑wheel instruction and requires DLD to supply a logging form and USBE to make available the 30‑hour online classroom module. She cited DLD figures for 2025: 49,285 minors obtained licenses and 36,866 received drivers training through local public schools, noting the parent‑led option is intended as a choice for families who need flexibility. “This is not going to be a light lift for them,” Peck said of parents who choose the route.

What the substitute does: Parents selecting the option must use the USBE 30‑hour online curriculum (a 0.5 credit course currently available in a $50 market product), complete and turn in a DLD log documenting six behind‑the‑wheel hours plus additional elements such as the 0 Fatalities module, and the DLD will scan and retain the log in the student file. DLD deputy commissioner Hillary Kellner said DLD expects a small programming fiscal note (~$10,000) to add the new application option and scanning workflow.

Debate and testimony: The committee heard robust testimony from driving‑school providers, instructors and advocates. Providers including AAA course contractor Ted Paulson, Mary Anne Wilkinson of A1 Driving School and third‑party examiners raised concerns about parental ability to safely deliver behind‑the‑wheel instruction, the lack of dual‑control vehicles in many homes, professional training requirements for instructors, and cited studies from Texas and Nebraska that reported higher crash or conviction rates among parent‑taught cohorts. Ken Wade of Eco Driving Utah told the committee the evidence “is unambiguous” that parent‑taught programs in some states correlated with more crashes and fatalities.

Supporters and several lawmakers countered that the substitute includes guardrails — the USBE course, logging requirements, DLD scanning, and the amendment requiring retention of logs equivalent to state board instructor logs — and said the option will mainly be used by a small subset of families (for example, homeschooling families or those without access to local courses). Representative Thurston and others said they expect relatively few parents to choose the option and that built‑in safeguards mitigate the risk.

Committee action: Representative DeFe moved to adopt the third substitute; the committee adopted it and then approved Representative Fey’s Amendment 1 (requiring parents to keep and retain logs equivalent to state board logs). Representative Thurston moved that the committee favorably recommend Third Substitute HB 464 as amended. The committee passed the favorable recommendation by roll call vote, 10–1, with Representative Dominguez voting no.

What’s next: The committee advanced the bill to the House with a favorable recommendation; the bill is scheduled for the next steps in the legislative process where floor debate and possible amendment could occur.