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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
142 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE 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; and
(5) 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 House of Representatives 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.
Traffic Safety; Legislation