THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

129

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging statewide support for TRAFFIC SAFETY LEGISLATION TO REDUCE MOTOR VEHICLE fatalities AND INJURIES.

 

 

 


WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation supports all efforts to reduce motor vehicle fatalities through legislation; and

 

WHEREAS, during the calendar years of 2013-2017, Hawaii tallied five-hundred seventeen motor vehicle fatalities, which is unacceptable as these deaths were preventable if all roadway users followed Hawaii's laws; and

 

WHEREAS, a strong multifaceted approach using enforcement, education, and legislation is necessary to reduce the number of motor vehicle fatalities and injuries; and

 

WHEREAS, the Legislature is urging statewide support for traffic safety measures that increase public safety, including measures that:

 

     (1)  Use general funds to establish a state drug testing lab to test blood samples of persons involved in motor vehicle crashes for alcohol and drugs because currently blood samples need to be sent out of State, which results in unnecessary delays and costs;

 

     (2)  Allow county police departments to receive a portion of the fines for the citations they issue to be used for increased county enforcement efforts, equipment purchases, and training;

 

     (3)  Strengthen Hawaii's Child Passenger Restraint Law by extending the age requirement for children riding in a booster seat because child safety seats, when correctly installed and used, are extremely effective in saving children's lives, reducing the risk of death by as much as 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers;

 

     (4)  Provide stronger penalties for persons who violate Hawaii's Universal Seat Belt Law because research has found that seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 45 percent and the risk of critical injuries by 50 percent;

 

     (5)  Establish a Universal Helmet Law that requires all motorcycle, moped, and bicycle riders to wear a helmet while riding on public roadways to reduce a rider's chance of traumatic brain injury or paralysis after an accident;

 

     (6)  Prohibit persons from riding in the cargo area of a pickup truck to reduce preventable fatalities and injuries; and

    

     (7)  Establish a marijuana education program to help the public understand the perils of edible marijuana, especially the dangers of driving while impaired to prevent an increase in drug impaired driving fatalities; and

 

WHEREAS, the Legislature supports full consideration and robust discussion on these issues and other traffic safety legislation in the current and future legislative sessions to address roadway safety so that all of Hawaii's residents and visitors arrive alive; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the Legislature urges statewide support of traffic safety legislation to reduce motor vehicle fatalities and injuries; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chief Justice, Attorney General, Director of Transportation, Director of

Health, Director of Public Safety, the mayors of each county, and the Chief of Police of each county.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Traffic Safety; Legislation