Amends existing law to revise a provision regarding reckless driving.
Summary
House Bill 570 amends Idaho’s reckless driving statute to add a new specific reckless-driving trigger: driving more than 20 miles per hour over the posted speed limit in an active school zone when children are present and visible, or in an active construction zone when workers are present and visible. The bill keeps the existing reckless-driving standards for careless or heedless driving that endangers persons or property, and for passing where a lane line indicates a sight-distance restriction.
The bill also preserves the current penalty structure for reckless driving. A first offense remains a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. A repeat offense within five years remains a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both, with driver’s license suspension handled under existing law. The bill leaves the separate lesser offense of inattentive driving in place, with its lower penalties.
Impact
This bill amends Section 49-1401 of the Idaho Code, expanding the conduct that can be charged as reckless driving to include extreme speeding in active school and construction zones under the specified conditions. It does not create a new offense category, but it broadens the factual circumstances that qualify as reckless driving and therefore subjects more dangerous speeding behavior to the existing misdemeanor penalties and license consequences. The act is declared an emergency and takes effect July 1, 2026.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong bipartisan support for the bill. It passed the House 65-1 and the Senate 34-0, indicating broad agreement that the conduct targeted by the bill is especially dangerous and should be treated as reckless driving. No committee transcript is available, but the near-unanimous votes indicate little visible opposition in the legislative record provided.
Contention
The main policy question is whether the bill appropriately elevates speeding in active school and construction zones to reckless driving when children or workers are present and visible, rather than treating it as a lesser traffic offense. Supporters likely view the change as a targeted public-safety measure aimed at protecting vulnerable road users and deterring extreme speeding in high-risk areas. Any potential concern would center on the new threshold and conditions for enforcement—specifically, how officers determine whether a zone is active and whether children or workers are present and visible—but the voting record shows little recorded contention.