STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2358

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3162

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 3162 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AUDIBLE VEHICLE REVERSE WARNING SYSTEMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the replacement of current audible reverse warning systems (back-up beepers) on construction, agricultural, and industrial vehicles with more effective broadband reversing alarms by January 1, 2025.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Young Brothers; Matson Navigation Company, Inc.; Building Industry Association Hawaii; and General Contractors Association of Hawaii. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Transportation, and Hawaii Transportation Association.

Your Committee finds that reversing alarms of commercial and construction vehicles cause significant urban noise pollution while being significantly less effective than similar options. The current tonal alarms have been shown in a study to be inferior to broadband alarm sounds which are two thirds more effective. Furthermore, the tonal "beep-beep-beep" contributes more toward noise pollution than the broadband "pshh-pshh-pshh" noise. Therefore, the purpose of this measure is to protect Hawaii's residents from disruptive noise pollution and utilize safer vehicular reversing practices by requiring the use of broadband reversing alarms instead of tonal alarms by January 1, 2025.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Narrowing the scope of the measure to apply only to state and county-owned vehicles purchased after January 1, 2025;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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 S.B. No. 3162, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3162, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair