As summer starts, here’s a reminder of Utah road rules

SALT LAKE CITY — As warmer weather brings more cars to the highways, drivers may want to consider brushing up on Utah’s road rules and safety requirements.

Memorial Day weekend marked the start of summer, often referred to as the 100 deadliest days on Utah’s roads. Here are some of the most common questions that drivers ask the Utah Highway Patrol.

Safety inspection is gone, not the requirement for safe vehicles

In January, 2018, the state removed the safety inspection requirement to renew a car’s registration. But that never meant that drivers could get away with having a broken windshield or tail light. 

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“People think that because we don’t have to have our vehicles inspected as often that all of those laws have gone away,” said Roden. “But that’s not true. All the laws that safety inspection was associated with … are still laws in Utah. It’s just that you don’t actually have to have your vehicle inspected.”

According to Roden, it is left to the officer’s discretion whether or not to enforce those laws.

“So, now it’s even more important for a law enforcement to go out and make sure that our vehicles aren’t having issues out there on the roadway,” he said. “We need to make sure our vehicles are in working order.”

Should I stay or should I go?

If a driver is stopped at a red light and an emergency vehicle approaches from behind, should they stay put or move out of the way?

Roden says that depends. “So this one’s going to be very situational dependent, like whatever that situation is,” he said. 

If an emergency vehicle is approaching from the left, Roden said drivers should move over if it is safe to do so.

“If you can’t do it safely, then don’t do it,” he said. “But if you can safely slide over to the right a little bit, if that vehicle’s coming up on your left … then do so safely, but we don’t ever want to put you in danger.”

Accident protocol, exchanging information and calling police

Do drivers always need to call the police when an accident occurs, or is exchanging insurance information adequate?

“Utah law says that anything over $2,500 in damage, you need to have a a crash report taken,” said Roden. “Anyone who’s … fix(ed) anything on your vehicle recently, you know, it doesn’t take a whole lot to equal that $2,500 in damage.”

The amount is based on combined damage between in both vehicles.

 Roden said the rule of thumb is to err on the side of caution and that in general, law enforcement should be contacted if there are injuries, significant vehicle damage, or if the accident obstructs traffic.

Road rules on firearms

If a driver has a gun in the car and gets pulled over, there are a few things they can do to keep the situation safe for everyone involved. 

“If you have a firearm in a glove box where your registration is, it’s always good to to let the law enforcement officer know … (so) if you open the glove box, it doesn’t take them by surprise.”

Roden said the driver should wait until an officer approaches before digging out their registration. 

“It’s one of the things that we always watch for … people’s hands,” Roden said.

What about left-lane loafers?

The most common question officers get, Roden said, is about people driving slowly in the left lane. 

“Left lane loafers are people who are in that left lane, clogging traffic,” he said.

Does the UHP see these drivers as a risk, and enough of one to pull them over?

“We we actually do stop them but we also have a lot of other things that we’re looking for as well,” said Roden.

“So, we have to kind of see what’s going to be more important.”

 

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