It’s time to buckle up and keep your eyes on the road.
Gov. Abercrombie signed into law Monday, May 20, two bills regarding safe driving, one of which will require all back seat passengers inside a vehicle to wear their seat belts.
Pacific Business News reported that the new law, Senate Bill 4, comes in conjunction with the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign which promotes enactment of the seat belt law as well as safe driving practices.
In a statement released by the governor’s office, Abercrombie said the driving law will close “the gap in protecting all passengers riding in a motor vehicle.”
Up until May 20, back seat passengers older than 18 were not required to wear a seat belt. Liberal arts student Jennifer Goo, said since turning 18, she hasn’t buckled up when she rides in the back seat. Goo, 23, said the the new law will promote safe driving and riding habits.
“I think it’s safe for everybody to wear their seat belt in the car,” she said. “Before the law passed and when I would ride in the back, I wouldn’t wear my seat belt because I was over 18. But being that now everyone has to (buckle up), I think that’s a good idea for everybody to be safe in the car.”
The other bill Abercrombie signed into law, House Bill 980, bans the use of mobile electronics while driving, which includes the use of cell phones for texting or messaging. In addition, the ban will also prohibit drivers younger than 18 to use a hands-free device while driving, with the exception of making 911 calls.
Abercrombie said eliminating the use of mobile electronics while driving will result in safer roadways.
“In addition, the enactment of Hawaii’s distracted driving law establishes consistency across the state for the usage of mobile electronic devices while driving, simplifying enforcement and likewise making our highways and roadways safer,” he said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), distracted driving-related car crashes, which includes the use of cell phones, kills more than nine people and injures more than 1,000 every year. AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign, which is aimed to end texting while driving habits, people who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in a car crash.
In addition, inexperienced drivers younger than 20 have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes, said the CDC.
Biology major Cameron Caldwell, 26, said the electronics ban is a good idea.
“As for the cell phone (ban), I think it makes a lot of sense, definitely,” Caldwell said. “It’s something that kills people when they’re not paying attention while they’re driving.”
Pacific Business News reported that passengers who do not wear their seat belts can face a $92 fine. Drivers caught using a mobile electronic device can be fined up to $200 for a first violation and up to $300 for a second offense in the same year.