Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 1517 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purposes of this measure as referred to your Committee were to replace the word "accident" with "collision" throughout the traffic code, and to delete the requirement that a driver stop following an accident only if the accident resulted solely in property damage.

The Department of Transportation and the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Honolulu Police Department testified orally in support of this measure.

At the hearing on this measure, your Committee was informed that this bill was prompted by recommendations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding use of the word "collision" rather than "accident."

Since this measure was submitted to the legislature, however, NHTSA has changed its position and now recommends that the states make no changes to the wording of their laws until this issue is further reviewed. Accordingly, your Committee amended this measure to delete all sections that dealt with the "accident" versus "collision" debate.

Your Committee agreed with the second purpose of this measure, to remove the word "only" from section 291C-13, Hawaii Revised Statutes. With this amendment, drivers involved in an accident will be required to stop and give information in all situations, and not only when the accident results solely in property damage.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1517, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1517, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.