Proposed law would allow pregnant people to use HOV lane
Jan 24, 2023, 9:59 AM | Updated: 1:23 pm
A person travels in the HOV lane on I-15 in Lehi on Thursday, July 12, 2018. (Steve Griffin/Deseret News)
(Steve Griffin/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — A proposed bill would amend carpool and HOV lane rules so that pregnant people would count as two occupants of a vehicle.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Salt Lake City, would allow a pregnant person to use HOV lanes on their own.
Gricius told Dave and Dujanovic she wants to create consistency with other Utah laws. “Really what it comes down to is consistency,” said Rep. Gricius. “We recognize here in Utah that an unborn child is their own individual and they should be counted as one.”
Additionally, Gricius pointed out Utah would consider the murder of a pregnant woman as a double homicide.
“Something as simple as carpool lane usage should be a no-brainer,” Gricius concludes.
Under the bill, H.B. 256, if a pregnant person got a citation for using an HOV lane alone, they could have that citation dismissed.
If a person can provide medical documentation, like an ultrasound, to prove their pregnancy at the time of the citation, the court will dismiss the citation.
Rep. Gricius said she has faith in Utah’s law enforcement and the judgment calls they may need to make in regard to an individual’s truthfulness about their pregnancy.
If a pregnant person decided they did not want to display their evidence of pregnancy at the scene, they will have to provide a signed physician’s note to the court.
