Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 2422 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to enhance pedestrian safety by establishing a three-tiered sentencing structure with graduated penalties for drivers who violate Hawaii's pedestrian crosswalk law.

The Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Health, and Honolulu Police Department testified in support of this bill. The Office of the Public Defender opposed this measure. A concerned individual submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that pedestrians crossing the street are suffering too many injuries and fatalities and that these numbers continue to increase every year. These incidents are often caused by inattentive drivers, but pedestrians also share some of the blame. Although many of these incidences occur outside of a marked crosswalk, far too many occur while a pedestrian is crossing the street in a marked crosswalk. In fact, according to DOT, in 2005 there were 36 traffic fatalities involving pedestrians, 13 of which occurred within a crosswalk.

While your Committee understands that the penalties in this measure may be extreme, pedestrian safety is a serious issue that deserves the utmost attention and is worthy of further consideration.

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. 2422 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.