STAND. COM. REP. NO.  52

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

 

RE:   H.B. No. 154

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 154 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to enhance traffic safety by making various amendments to statutory language involving sanctions for persons operating a motor vehicle with a high blood alcohol level.  Among other things, this bill:

 

     (1)  Clarifying the term "highly intoxicated driver";

 

     (2)  Establishes evidence and sentencing parameters for             highly intoxicated drivers; and

 

     (3)  Establishes minimum and maximum administrative license         revocation periods for highly intoxicated drivers.

 

     The Department of Transportation, Honolulu Police Department, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving-Hawaii testified in support of this bill.

 

     Hawaii has seen an increase in the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents and fatalities.  Sadly, between 2001 and 2005, there were 674 traffic fatalities on Hawaii's roadways, 303 of which were alcohol related.  However, of greater alarm is the number of impaired drivers operating a motor vehicle with a high blood alcohol content.  In fact, over the last five years, approximately 48 percent of intoxicated drivers involved in alcohol-related crashes in Hawaii had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15 or higher with the average BAC of a driver arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant estimated to be .14.  This constitutes a major public safety and public health problem that needs to be addressed.

 

     Your Committee notes that the Legislature has worked diligently on this issue, passing legislation during the Regular Session of 2006 that created a new category of impaired drivers.  This bill seeks to further clarify that law.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 154 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair