STAND. COM. REP. NO. 15

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 672
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation and Intergovernmental
Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 672 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PASSENGER SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to require all children under
the age of four to be restrained in a car seat, and all front and
back seat passengers under the age of eighteen years to be
restrained by a seat belt assembly.

     Testimony in favor of this bill was given by the Department
of Transportation, Department of Health, Hawaii Insurers Council,
Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, and Mothers Against Drunk
Driving.

     Your Committee finds that from 1986 through 1996 the average
number of rear seat fatalities was 9.1 fatalities per year.
There was an average of 28 incapacitating rear seat injuries per
year and 232 rear seat nonincapacitating injuries per year for
this same period.  

     Current law requires children under the age of three to be
in a car seat, and passengers under age fifteen to use rear seat
belts.  Your Committee believes that requiring children under age
four in rear seats to be restrained by an approved child
passenger restraint system and a mandatory front and rear seat
belt law for children under the age of eighteen will save lives
and reduce injuries.

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 15
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     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Transportation and Intergovernmental Affairs that is
attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the
intent and purpose of S.B. No. 672 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
                                   and Intergovernmental Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair

 
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