Seat-belt use in Hawai'i rockets to over 90 percent

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

Hawai'i's seat-belt use jumped to more than 90 percent during the recent "Click It or Ticket" campaign, state officials said yesterday.

Police officers issued 4,734 tickets for seat-belt violations during the "Click It or Ticket" campaign in May and June. During the nationwide program, Hawai'i became one of three states to achieve 90 percent seat-belt use. Advertiser library photo

A survey conducted by the University of Hawai'i during the last week of the nationwide program showed that statewide seat-belt use rose from 83.5 percent to 90.4 percent during the campaign, which ran from May 13 to June 2, Minaai said.

Kaua'i had the highest (92.8) percentage of seat-belt use, and Maui showed the biggest increase, going from 78 percent last year to 87.7 percent this year. O'ahu's use rate increased to 91 percent, and the Big Island's rose to 88.9 percent.

On the whole, drivers were more likely than their passengers to be belted up, the UH survey found. Looking at more than 35,000 drivers and 15,000 passengers, the study group found that seat-belt compliance among drivers was generally about 2 to 6 percent higher than for passengers.

During the federally funded campaign, county police issued 4,734 citations for seat-belt violations and 169 for failure to use child safety seats. Officers making seat-belt checks also issued 1,986 citations for insurance, equipment and registration violations.

Before the recent campaign, seat-belt use in Hawai'i had remained relatively stable, ranging between 80 percent and 85 percent from 1990 to 2001, well above the national average (71 percent) but still below the previous peak of 85 percent observed in 1991.

Pleased that compliance went up during the ticketing campaign, officials hope the trend will continue.

"I hope that everyone who used their seat belt during the Click It or Ticket campaign will continue to wear their belt," Minaai said. "This will save lives."