Posted on: Saturday, December 22, 2001

Driving company car getting tricky

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

Signs like the one at Pali Highway and School Street warn motorists of the presence of traffic cameras. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Owners of corporate vehicle fleets will be responsible for all citations issued to their drivers under the state's new traffic photo enforcement system, according to details of the program released this week by the state Transportation Department.

"You are ultimately responsible," the department warns companies that provide vehicles for their employees. The advice is contained in an extensive new question-and-answer fact sheet about the program, which is expected to start issuing citations, rather than warnings, early next month.

However, companies are free either to tell the court who was driving the corporate car at the time of the violation or to try to settle up with employees individually.

"Believe me, if we got a ticket, we would find out who was driving at the time," said Kelly Thomas, general manager of DHX Dependable Hawaiian Express, a local trucking company.

Thomas said the company hasn't decided whether it will handle the problem internally or let the drivers be responsible for paying the tickets.

"We haven't run into the problem yet, so it's hard to say what we'll do," Thomas said. "In any case, I don't think it will be a big problem because we stress that our drivers have to abide by all the laws."

Hawaiian Electric Company, which operates a fleet of about 500 vehicles, has already told employees they will have to answer the citations.

"It's the same as before," said company spokesman Fred Kobashikawa. "We recently reminded all our employees that the operation of a company vehicle will be the personal responsibility of the driver. That comes right out of our company handbook."

At Verizon Hawai'i, which has a fleet of 1,000 vehicles statewide, employees also will pay their own fines.

"We won't handle it any different from a ticket issued by a police officer," said spokeswoman Ann Nishida. "The driver will be held responsible."

However, one company owner who supervises a small fleet of company cars said it's likely his company will pay for tickets because the associated "points" on a driving abstract can't be held against a corporation. Without that information, insurance companies will be unlikely to raise his company's rates even if there is an increase in tickets, said the owner, who did not want to be identified.

The DOT position on company cars is similar to one that is in place for rental cars. In those cases, the citation will be sent to the rental car company, which can try to identify the drivers of the vehicle and make them pay for the violation.

"If the driver does not pay the citation, the driver's license number may be entered into the national Law Enforcement Traffic System," DOT spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said. States that use the system then may be able to block renewal of the driver's license."

That's also what will happen to local drivers who ignore the citations, Kali said.

"A license stopper will be placed on the vehicle's registration and the driver's license, meaning the registration and license may not be renewed until the fine is paid," she said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or by e-mail at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.