Teenagers hate, and often ignore, Utah's restrictions on newly-licensed drivers.
Small Lake City
By Sabina Lowe
As a 15-year-old, learning to drive and obtaining a driver's license is a hot topic with my friends and me. This summer, some of my older peers are turning 16 and have started to get their licenses.
My friends and I are excited to start driving around and gain independence by traveling through the Salt Lake Valley with one another. But much to our great disappointment, we soon learned that in the state of Utah, newly licensed 16- and 17-year-olds are not allowed to drive with any passenger who is not an immediate family member, until they have had their license for at least six months.
Pretty much everyone from the ages of 15 to 17 hates this law, and many choose to ignore it. But for those of us who follow the law, we are essentially stuck with our learner's permit for an additional six months.
This makes carpooling to school or team practices impossible, and it causes a real inconvenience in our lives for those first six months.
Many of my friends and I were thrilled to learn that during the 2023 legislative session, Morgan Republican Rep. Kera Birkeland introduced a bill that would change this law.
She argued that driving alone is a safety risk to new drivers who live in the rural district she represents. She also claimed that many organizations across the U.S. support this policy change.
Birkeland brought up the point that doing away with the 6-month probationary period would allow parents and children to speak about the responsibilities of safe driving practices and decide how they will approach driving as a family. Unfortunately, the Legislature did not agree and the bill did not pass—but Rep. Birkeland would have had my vote.
The current law makes no sense. The logic behind it is that kids need time to learn how to drive safely, and then after six months, they can drive with whomever they would like. But Utah law already requires new drivers to have had a learner's permit for six months before getting their license, so this requirement has essentially already been met before a license is obtained. Also, at one point or another, every new driver is going to have to learn to drive safely even with distractions in the car, so why not get it done at the beginning of your time as a driver so that you can get the most out of your driving skills?
I hope the Utah Legislature takes another look at this bill next session and with luck, they may come to a different decision ... just in time for me to get my license and benefit from the change!
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