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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Saturday, December 7, 2002

1,700 citations issued in seat-belt campaign, far fewer than before

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

Despite a campaign earlier this year enforcing the use of car seat belts, more than 1,700 received citations last month for not buckling up in the state's latest "Click it or Ticket" campaign.

Hawai'i's four county police departments handed out an estimated 1,702 citations for seat-belt and child safety seat violations during the campaign, Nov. 18 to Dec. 1.

The numbers were based on early estimates from each police department.

That figure is dramatically lower than the 4,903 seat-belt citations handed out in the earlier campaign, May 13 to June 2. Citations issued then for failure to use child safety seats numbered 169.

Honolulu police Sgt. Robert Lung of the traffic division said the reduction could have meant "more people were aware of the seat-belt enforcement this time around."

"If more people got the message, that's a good thing," Lung said. "Hawai'i had a 90 percent seat-belt usage rate in the last campaign, so we're trying to get that remaining 10 percent."

Sgt. Mark Scribner, who heads the Kaua'i police traffic safety section, said the police departments had more federal money for extra enforcement during the earlier campaign.

Kaua'i officers handed out 700 citations during that enforcement period, compared with 55 last month.

The earlier campaign was part of a nationwide effort, he said. This time, "we didn't have the all-out promotional blitz like the last one."

Honolulu police issued roughly 1,025 citations in last month's campaign. Maui police issued 514 and Big Island police, 108. The four counties issued 33 child safety seat violations.

Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com at 535-8110.