Should Utah lower the age teens can get their driver's license?

SALT LAKE CITY — The minimum age to receive a driver's license is 16 years old in Utah, but that could soon change.

Rep. Nicholeen Peck, R-Tooele, has introduced a bill, HB464, in the Utah Legislature that would lower the minimum age for obtaining a driver's license to 15 years and 6 months.

Peck shared that she got the idea for the bill from a constituent, a student from Tooele Junior High School. That student had reached out to Peck and scheduled a meeting with her to present her idea.

"She had all of the research laid out about it, and she had checked into all these different states and accidents rates and everything, and she had done so many things," Peck told the Deseret News. "I was so impressed, and she was like, 'This is what I would like to do.'"

The representative added that this constituent brought the issue to her over a year ago, so she is now old enough she would no longer be impacted by the bill. That student was passionate about this issue because she felt that she and her classmates were ready to drive at a younger age.

The bill also addresses the required number of driving practice hours and the ability of parents to provide driver's education at home.

When asked about the bill during Wednesday's Senate media availability, Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, said he had been driving before he reached the legal age to obtain his license.

"We're outside the statute of limitations," he said. "I learned to drive, seeing between the dashboard and the steering wheel."

What would the bill do?

Under HB464, teenagers would be able to obtain a driver's license at age 15 years and 6 months. It would also lower the minimum age for a learner's permit to 14 years and 6 months.

It would also allow parents to provide and fulfill the driver's education requirements for their children. The materials are already available through the Driver's License Division, but this bill would allow those materials to be used by parents.

Peck clarified that while parents can teach driver's education material to their children, they cannot conduct the required tests, such as the road exam. She said several people in her community asked for the ability to do this.

The representative said that because her children were homeschooled, they did driver's education through a third party. She added that they didn't have a great experience with that.

"I don't even know if they always paid attention, but if I would have been there doing it with them, I think that would have been actually a really positive experience, and actually maybe even parents could become better drivers," she said.

Currently, young drivers with learner's permits are required to complete 40 practice hours; the bill would increase that to 60 hours. Peck said this provision would add more safety for younger drivers.

"The longer a person has to have practice time before they're actually legally licensed on the road, the less accidents they have when they're teens," the representative said.

Safety concerns about more young drivers on the road

During Senate media availability, when the bill was discussed, Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, expressed concern as a "car accident" attorney.

He said he sees many accidents, and a disproportionate number involve young drivers.

"I'm just speaking on my behalf, that would make me really nervous," he said about the possibility of lowering the minimum driver's license age.

Data from the Utah Department of Public Safety indicate that at least 6,000 crashes involving teen drivers have occurred each year since 2016. Teen drivers are defined as being between the ages of 15 and 17 years old.

In 2024, there were 6,574 teen driver crashes with 815 minor injuries, 110 serious injuries and 10 fatalities. Preliminary data shows that in 2025, there were 6,148 teen driver crashes with 780 minor injuries, 150 serious injuries and 18 fatalities.

Related:

Families grieve teens killed on Utah roads, urge safety

Every year, a press conference is held to tell the stories of Utah teens killed in traffic accidents, and officials say parental responsibility to teach driving safety is greater than ever.

Peck said that there are other states that have these younger age minimums and it is not causing them any issues.

In Idaho and Montana, teenagers can obtain their license at age 15, and in New Mexico and South Carolina, the minimum age is 15 years and 6 months. The youngest age allowed for getting a license is in South Dakota, where teenagers can drive without a parent at age 14 years and 6 months.

Peck said she doesn't have any concerns about increased safety risks with younger drivers on the road. She believes this will help the teenagers learn more responsibility at a younger age.

"I love the idea of them taking an adult step a little bit sooner, so that they can start taking on more of that responsibility and think of themselves as, 'I gotta grow up, I gotta be an adult,'" Peck said.

The representative added that she began teaching her children to drive on their private property before they obtained their learner's permits.

"I feel like it was a thing that helped increase their confidence in who they were, to learn an adult skill like that," Peck said.

Ultimately, the parents decide when their kids can start driving.

Rep. Peck expects to have many conversations about this bill

Peck said she believes this bill will be "juicy" and spur a lot of conversation. She expects to hear about it from her fellow lawmakers.

"There's a lot of people wanting to have a conversation about it, and I'm just doing it because a constituent said, 'Will you do this for me? Rep. Peck, can I help you on a bill?' And I said, 'Yes.'"

Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said that if the bill makes it out of the House and into the Senate, they will be having "robust discussions" about it.

Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, also responded to the news about the bill.

"I can tell you this, my grandkids in middle school are very excited for that bill," Harper said.

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