Getting gramps off road may get easier
A bill that passed out of a Senate committee on Tuesday would allow you to anonymously report Dad's driving to the state driver license division and have him tested to see if he can be on the road. Current law requires that the driver license division release your name if you've reported someone as a poor driver.
Sen. Allen Christensen, R-Ogden, is the sponsor of SB84. The measure broadly states that "a person may notify the driver license division if the person is aware of a physical, mental or emotional impairment of another person that is an imminent threat to driver safety."
The intent of the bill is to allow people to quietly tattle on a loved one without any fear of hurting a friendship or family ties, said Christensen. The measure has a provision that makes it a class C misdemeanor if someone reports another person with "the intent to annoy, intimidate or harass a person."
Former Democratic state Sen. Rex Black, 85, told senators Tuesday that he was afraid the bill unfairly targets the elderly. He said that he believes most elderly people won't drive if they feel the road conditions are unsafe. Black said he usually has his daughters drive him places, unless they are unavailable.
Lawmakers on the committee said they had no concerns with the intent of the measure. Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley, said he wanted to ensure that people wouldn't get away with turning in a person if that person wasn't a danger on the road.
"Make sure they've got the tools to make sure this is not a harassment bill," he said.
Wallace Wintle, bureau chief of the driver license division, said Tuesday that residents who turn in a person anonymously would be required to sign a notarized affidavit. That action alone will hopefully limit the number of people who want to falsely turn someone in, he said.
SB84 now moves on to the Senate floor for debate.
E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com
You can be the first to comment on this story.