STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2627

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 1390
                                        S.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No.
1390, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill, as received by your Committee, is
to create a new offense of aggressive driving, defined as the
commission of multiple traffic infractions close to another
vehicle.

     Your Committee finds that drivers may drive aggressively
because of road rage, being late for an appointment, or being
etiquette challenged.  However, the result of aggressive driving
is that our roads are more hazardous and stressful for all who
use them.  This has created concern in the community about
specific hazardous areas, including crosswalks across highways,
such as those near Jack Lane in Nuuanu, and roadways that are
near schools.  

     Your Committee believes that a pattern of aggressive driving
should subject a driver to penalties that are greater than might
be imposed for an isolated traffic offense.  For this reason,
your Committee believes that aggressive driving should be
severely punished.  Your Committee is confident that severe
punishment will contribute to the deterrence of aggressive and
dangerous driving near crosswalks, in school zones, and elsewhere
on Hawaii's roads.


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2627
                                   Page 2


     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Department of Transportation.  Testimony in support of this
measure with amendments was submitted by the Department of the
Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Maui, and the Honolulu
Police Department.  Comments on this measure were submitted by
the Office of the Public Defender.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended the
bill by deleting the new offense of aggressive driving and
instead extending the existing offense of reckless driving to
include the commission of multiple traffic violations within a
distance of two miles, and to authorize a conviction for a
traffic violation arising out of the same course of action as the
conviction for reckless driving or reckless riding of an animal.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
1390, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1390, S.D.
2.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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