Parent Taught Driver Education Amendments

52
53-3-210.5
53-3-211
53-3-505.5
53G-10-508
53G-10-509
0
Parent Taught Driver Education Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Nicholeen P. Peck
Senate Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill allows a parent to complete driver education requirements as an instructor for the
parent's child.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
directs a local education agency to provide a parent with materials necessary to complete
driver education classroom requirements for the parent's child;
allows a parent to complete all the education requirements and behind-the-wheel driving
hours for driver education purposes; and
makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53-3-210.5
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 242
53-3-211
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 314
53-3-505.5
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2018, Chapter 415
53G-10-508
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 247
ENACTS:
53G-10-509
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53-3-210.5
is amended to read:
53-3-210.5
. Learner permit.
(1)
The division, upon receiving an application for a learner permit, may issue a learner
permit effective for 18 months to an applicant who is at least 15 years old.
(2)
(a)
The learner permit entitles an applicant that is 18 years old or older to operate a
class D motor vehicle only if
a person
an individual
21 years old or older who is a
licensed driver is occupying a seat beside the applicant.
(b)
The learner permit entitles an applicant that is younger than 18 years old to operate a
class D motor vehicle only if:
(i)
an approved driving instructor is occupying a seat beside the applicant;
(ii)
the applicant's parent or legal guardian, who must be a licensed driver, is
occupying a seat beside the applicant;
(iii)
a responsible adult who has signed for the applicant under Section
53-3-211
and
who must be a licensed driver, is occupying a seat beside the applicant; or
(iv)
a responsible individual 21 years old or older who is not the parent or legal
guardian is occupying a seat beside the applicant and:
(A)
the parent or legal guardian is not a licensed driver;
(B)
the individual occupying the seat beside the applicant has in the individual's
immediate possession evidence that the individual is authorized by the parent
or legal guardian to accompany the applicant while operating the motor
vehicle; and
(C)
the individual occupying the seat beside the applicant is a licensed driver.
(c)
The applicant shall have the learner permit in the applicant's immediate possession
while operating the motor vehicle.
(3)
The division shall issue a learner permit to an applicant who:
(a)
is at least 15 years old;
(b)
has passed the knowledge test required by the division;
(c)
has passed the physical and mental fitness tests; and
(d)
has submitted a nonrefundable fee for a learner permit under Section
53-3-105
.
(4)
(a)
The division shall supply the learner permit form.
(b)
The form under Subsection
(4)(a)
shall include:
(i)
the applicant's full name, date of birth, sex, Utah residence address, height, weight,
and eye color;
(ii)
the date of issuance and expiration of the permit; and
(iii)
the conditions and restrictions contained in this section for operating a class D
motor vehicle.
(5)
An application and fee for a learner permit entitle the applicant to:
(a)
not more than three attempts to pass the knowledge test for a class D license within
one year; and
(b)
a learner permit after the knowledge test is passed.
(6)
(a)
If an applicant has been issued a learner permit under this section or an equivalent
by another state or branch of the United States Armed Forces, the applicant may be
issued an original or provisional class D license from the division upon:
(i)
completing a driver education course
in a
:
(A)
in a
commercial driver training school licensed under
Part 5, Commercial
Driver Training Schools Act
;
or
(B)
in a
driver education program approved by the State Board of Education or the
division;
or
(C)
with the applicant's parent as described in Section
53G-10-509
;
(ii)
passing a knowledge test approved by the division that complies with the
requirement of Subsection
(6)(d)
;
(iii)
passing the skills test approved by the division;
(iv)
reaching 16 years old; and
(v)
paying the nonrefundable fee for an original or provisional class D license
application under Section
53-3-105
.
(b)
In addition to the requirements under Subsection
(6)(a)
, an applicant who is 17 years
old or younger is required to hold a learner permit for six months before applying for
a provisional class D license.
(c)
An applicant is exempt from the requirement under Subsection
(6)(a)(i)
if the
applicant:
(i)
is 19 years old or older;
(ii)
holds a learner permit for three months before applying for an original class D
license; and
(iii)
certifies that the applicant, under the authority of a permit issued under this
chapter, has completed at least 40 hours of driving a motor vehicle, of which at
least 10 hours were completed during night hours after sunset.
(d)
Fifty percent of the test questions included in the knowledge test required under
Subsection
(6)(a)(ii)
shall cover the topic of major causes of traffic related deaths as
identified in statistics published by the Highway Safety Office.
Section 2. Section
53-3-211
is amended to read:
53-3-211
. Application of minors -- Liability of person signing application --
Cancellation of cosigning adult's liability -- Behind-the-wheel driving certification.
(1)
As used in this section, "minor" means any
person
individual
younger than 18 years
of
age
old
who is not married or has not been emancipated by adjudication.
(2)
(a)
The application of a minor for a learner permit or provisional license shall be
signed by the parent or guardian of the applicant.
(b)
If the minor applicant does not have a parent or guardian or is in the legal custody of
the Division of Child and Family Services, then a parent or responsible adult who is
willing to assume the obligation imposed under this chapter may sign the application.
(3)
(a)
Except as provided in Subsection
(4)
, the liability of a minor for civil
compensatory damages caused when operating a motor vehicle upon a highway is
imputed to the
person
individual
who has signed the application of the minor under
Subsection
(2)
.
(b)
The
person
individual
who has signed the application under Subsection
(2)
is jointly
and severally liable with the minor as provided in Subsections
(3)(a)
and
(c)
.
(c)
The liability imposed under Subsections
(3)(a)
and
(b)
is limited to the policy
minimum limits established in Section
31A-22-304
.
(d)
The liability provisions in this Subsection
(3)
are in addition to the liability
provisions in Section
53-3-212
.
(4)
(a)
If owner's or operator's security covering the minor's operation of the motor
vehicle is in effect in amounts as required under Section
31A-22-304
, the
person
individual
who signed the minor's application under Subsection
(2)
is not subject to
the liability imposed under Subsection
(3)
.
(b)
Notwithstanding the requirement under Subsection
(3)
, if a foster parent signs an
application under Subsection
(2)
for a minor who is in the legal custody of the
Division of Child and Family Services and who resides with the foster parent, the
foster parent's liability may not exceed the greater of:
(i)
minimum liability insurance policy limits established under Section
31A-22-304
;
or
(ii)
the policy limits of the foster parent's liability insurance policy issued in
accordance with Section
31A-22-302
that were in effect at the time damages were
caused by the minor's operation of a motor vehicle.
(5)
(a)
A person
An individual
who has signed the application of a minor under
Subsection
(2)
may file with the division a verified written request that the permit or
license of the minor be canceled.
(b)
The division shall then cancel the permit or license of the minor, and the
person
individual
who signed the application of the minor under Subsection
(2)
is relieved
from the liability imposed under Subsection
(3)
or the minor operating a motor
vehicle subsequent to the cancellation.
(6)
(a)
The division upon receipt of satisfactory evidence of the death of the
person
individual
who signed the application of a minor under Subsection
(2)
shall cancel
the permit or license and may not issue a new permit or license until a new
application, signed and verified, is made under this chapter.
(b)
This Subsection
(6)
does not apply to an application of
a person
an individual
who
is no longer a minor.
(7)
(a)
In addition to the liability assumed under this section, the
person
individual
who
signs the application of a minor for a provisional license must certify that
, under the
authority of a permit issued under this chapter,
the minor applicant
, under the
authority of a permit issued under this chapter, has
:

(i)
completed at least 40 hours of driving a motor vehicle, of which at least 10 hours
shall be during night hours after sunset
.
; and
(ii)
if the minor applicant completed driver education requirements with a parent as
described in Section
53G-10-509
, attended a Zero Fatalities Parent-Teen Night
provided by the Department of Transportation with a parent, either virtually or in
person.
(b)
The hours of driving a motor vehicle required under Subsection
(7)(a)
may include:
(i)
hours completed in a driver education course as required under Subsection
53-3-505.5(1)
; and
(ii)
up to five hours completed by driving simulation practice on a fully interactive
driving simulation device at the substitution rate provided under Subsection
53-3-505.5(2)(b)
.
(8)
(a)
The individual signing the application form described in Subsection
(7)(a)
shall
indicate if the applicant intends to complete the driver education course requirement
with the applicant's parent as described in Section
53G-10-509
.
(b)
If an applicant's parent as defined in Section
53G-10-509
signs the form indicating
that the applicant will complete the driver education course requirement as described
in Subsection
(8)(a)
, the division shall inform the parent that parent-taught driver
education resources as described in Subsection 53G-10-508(2) are available from a
local education agency.
(9)
In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, the
division may make rules creating and managing:
(a)
a form allowing a parent instructing a child in driver education as described in
Section 53G-10-509 to track the child's driving hours as described in Subsections
53G-10-509(3)(a), (b), and (c);
(b)
a process of scanning and recording the driving hours form described in Subsection
(9)(a); and
(c)
other processes or forms necessary to implement parent-taught driver education as
described in Section 53G-10-509.
Section 3. Section
53-3-505.5
is amended to read:
53-3-505.5
. Behind-the-wheel training requirements.
(1)
Except as provided under Subsection
(2)
and Section
53G-3-509
, a driver education
course under this part or
Title 53G, Chapter 10, Part 5, Driver Education Classes
, that is
used to satisfy the driver training requirement under Section
53-3-204
shall require each
student to complete at least six hours of behind-the-wheel driving a dual-control motor
vehicle with a certified instructor seated in the front seat next to the student driver.
(2)
Up to three hours of the behind-the-wheel driving may be substituted as follows:
(a)
two hours of range driving on an approved driving range under Section
53G-10-502

equals one hour of the behind-the-wheel driving required under Subsection
(1)
;
(b)
two hours of driving simulation practice on a driving simulation device that is fully
interactive as set forth in rules made under Section
53-3-505
, equals one hour of the
behind-the-wheel driving required under Subsection
(1)
; and
(c)
four hours of driving simulation practice on a driving simulation device that is not
fully interactive as set forth in rules made under Section
53-3-505
, equals one hour of
the behind-the-wheel driving required under Subsection
(1)
, with a maximum of one
hour of the behind-the-wheel driving required under Subsection
(1)
that may be
substituted under this Subsection
(2)(c)
.
(3)
The behind-the-wheel driving required under Subsection
(1)
shall include, if feasible,
driving on interstate and other multilane highways.
Section 4. Section
53G-10-508
is amended to read:
53G-10-508
. Programs authorized -- Minimum standards.
(1)
A local education agency may:
(a)
allow a student to complete the classroom training portion of driver education
through home study;
(b)
provide each parent with driver education instructional materials to assist in parent
involvement with driver education including behind-the-wheel driving materials;
(c)
(a)
offer driver education outside of school hours in order to reduce the cost of
providing driver education;
(d)
(b)
offer driver education through community education programs;
(e)
(c)
offer the classroom portion of driver education in the public schools and allow
the student to complete the behind-the-wheel portion with a private provider:
(i)
licensed under Section
53-3-504
; and
(ii)
not associated with the school or under contract with the school under Subsection
53G-10-503(3)
; or
(f)
(d)
offer
any combination of Subsections
(1)(a)
through
(e)
.
(c).
(2)
A local education agency shall allow a student to complete the classroom training
portion of driver education through home study.
(2)
(3)
In accordance with
Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act
, the
state board shall establish in rule minimum standards for the school-related programs
under
Subsection
(1)
.
Subsections
(1)
and
(2)
.
Section 5. Section
53G-10-509
is enacted to read:
53G-10-509
. Parents as driver education instructors.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Driver education requirement" means the requirement for driver education
described in Subsection
53-3-204(1)(a)(ii)
.
(b)
"Observation time" means an individual observing another individual's operation of a
motor vehicle while the operator:
(i)
follows all traffic laws;
(ii)
comments out loud about driving behaviors and decisions made to safely operate
a motor vehicle; and
(iii)
answers the observing individual's questions about the safe operation of a motor
vehicle.
(c)
"Parent" means an individual's parent, stepparent, grandparent, foster parent, or legal
guardian.
(2)
A local education agency, in connection with t
he Driver License Division, shall provide
material as described in Section
53G-10-508
to a parent to allow the parent to provide
instruction for a driver education requirement for the parent's own child or grandchild.
(3)
In addition to the 40 hours of required driving as described in Subsection 53-3-211(7), a
parent providing instruction for a driver education requirement for an individual shall:
(a)
sit beside the individual during all driving hours completed by the individual to fulfill
behind-the-wheel driving hours requirements as described in Section
53-3-505.5
;
(b)
complete six hours of observation time with the individual; and
(c)
complete classroom instruction time requirements as described in Section
53G-10-502
.
(4)
An individual completing a driver education requirement by parent instruction:
(a)
is not required to use a dual-control motor vehicle as described in Section
53-3-505.5

to complete the driving hours requirement as described in Subsection
(3)(a)
;
(b)
may complete the six hours of behind-the-wheel driving as described in Section
53-3-505.5
with a parent; and
(c)
shall complete the driving hours and observation hours requirements described in
Subsection
(3)
.
(5)
An individual's parent may provide instruction for a driver education requirement for
the individual if the individual's parent:
(a)
has a valid class D driver license;
(b)
states on the form described in Subsection
53-3-211(8)
that the driver education
requirement was fulfilled by parent instruction; and
(c)
attends with the individual, in-person or virtually, a Zero Fatalities Parent-Teen
Night provided by the Department of Transportation.
Section 6.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
May 6, 2026
.
2-19-26 7:57 AM