Utah's highway safety laws have earned a middle-of-the-pack rating from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

According to a report released Monday by the group, Utah needs a mandatory motorcycle helmet law, primary seat belt enforcement laws and an expanded requirement for booster seat use.

The report also looked at states' teen driving rules and DUI laws.

Utah was given a "needs improvement" ranking along with 30 other states.

Local safety advocates said Utah's laws are headed in the right direction but some rules could use beefing up. "We've made some progress," AAA spokeswoman Rolayne Fairclough said. She added that getting a primary seat belt law, which would allow police to pull over and ticket drivers just for not wearing a seat belt, would cut down on accidents.

"I'm hoping the Legislature will look at this again," Fairclough said. "We have the best DUI laws in the nation. ... We know smart and strong legislation pays off."

Sen. Pat Jones, D-Salt Lake, has signed on to sponsor SB36, a bill that would make would make seat belt violations a primary offense. Jones recently won the seat vacated by Sen. Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake City. For four straight years, Hale has run a primary seat belt bill.

Fairclough said that without such a law, some drivers will resist using seat belts. People have a better chance of surviving an accident if they're wearing a seat belt, she said.

During the last legislative session new restrictions for teen drivers were OK'd, but a bill proposed this year would remove those restrictions. The current law states that motorists who have not driven for six months and are under age 17 are not allowed to drive from midnight to 5 a.m. They are also not allowed to carry underage passengers, other than the driver's relatives, until they have driven for six months.

Rep. Craig Frank, R-Pleasant Grove, wrote Monday on his Internet blog "Under the Dome" that he would like to "explore the possibility" of getting rid of some of the teen driving restrictions. Frank has opened a bill, HB82, that would axe the nighttime driving and passenger restrictions.

On the blog, Frank shared stories about teenager drivers and their parents who have been confused and troubled by the driving laws. He wrote about an Olympic-class swimmer who isn't able to drive herself to practice at 4:30 in morning because she is underage. He said it was likely the Legislature didn't completely consider the new regulations' consequences.

Frank did not return a call for comment on Monday.

Hale, who helped craft amendments for the driving restrictions during the 2006 session, thinks they make for sound law. "They (teenagers) are way overrepresented in car crashes and auto fatalities," she said. "We are not just affecting the teens for convenience reasons."

The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety has its report available online at www.saferoads.org. Frank's blog can be read at underthedome.org/?p=172.

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E-mail: smansell@desnews.com