Posted on: Friday, June 7, 2002
'Click-it' web nets 2,100 tickets
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
More than 2,100 seat-belt citations were issued on O'ahu during a two-week safety campaign, and police said motorists can expect to see more such enforcement this year.
The statistics represent the final tally from the statewide "Click It or Ticket" program that started May 20 and ended this week in one of the state's largest and most high-profile safety campaigns in recent years.
On O'ahu, police issued 2,135 seat-belt citations and 57 citations for violations of child-safety restraint requirements from May 20 to June 2. On Maui, police issued 596 seat-belt citations and eight child-restraint citations from May 20 to May 31. More numbers are still coming from Maui, and statistics from the Big Island and Kaua'i were not available yesterday.
Since the start of the program, seat-belt usage had increased. Police said they found fewer unbuckled motorists during the final week of the campaign. A University of Hawai'i survey will be used to assess the effectiveness of the campaign, with results provided to the state Department of Transportation by July 1, said the DOT's Gordon Hong.
Maj. Robert Prasser of the Honolulu Police Department yesterday said the department plans to continue seat-belt enforcement with money left over from HPD's $100,000 federal grant. Police said reinforcement is needed to keep some motorists from returning to old habits.
"We plan on having some more seat-belt checkpoints before the end of summer as a follow-up," said Prasser.
Prasser said the 2,100 seat-belt citations was "quite a few tags," but said the department's goal was to save lives, not give out a required number of citations.
"The bottom line is reducing collisions and saving lives when collisions occur," Prasser said. "We're simply trying to get people in the habit of buckling up to save lives."
Prasser said there were 45 vehicular fatalities last year on O'ahu and of those, 30 people were not wearing seat belts. So far this year, there have been 12 vehicular fatalities, and six of those people were not wearing seat belts. One death in which the victim was not wearing a seat belt occurred during the safety campaign. On May 28, a collision in Kailua killed 15-year-old Jasmine "Noe" Pai of Kane'ohe. The impact ejected the teen from the car, and the use of her seat belt might have made a difference, police said.
Lt. Charles Hirata of the Maui Police Department said he has seen more motorists wearing seat belts during the campaign. He said two weeks ago he issued eight citations in two hours, and on Wednesday, he issued just four citations in two hours.
"It appears that the program is making a difference," said Hirata, who added that the department, like HPD, plans more seat-belt checkpoints this year.
Last year, Big Island police issued 4,359 seat-belt citations and 291 child-restraint citations; Kaua'i police issued 2,070 seat-belt citations and 136 child-restraint citations; and Honolulu police issued more than 18,000 seat-belt citations and 400 child-restraint citations.
Under the seat-belt law, motorists must wear the shoulder and lap belt. The shoulder belt must be worn over the motorist's collarbone.
The county police departments have received federal grants totaling more than $250,000 for the enforcement effort, which lasts 12 months.
The fine for a seat-belt violation is $67. For drivers with children under 4 in the auto who are not strapped into a safety seat, the first-time offense means a $100 fine. The driver must also pay an additional $57 to attend a four-hour safety class.
A national report last year pegged Hawai'i's seat belt usage rate at 83.5 percent. California led the nation with 91 percent. Kaua'i County led the state with 87.6 percent usage, followed by Hawai'i County at 86.4 percent, Honolulu at 83.6 percent and Maui at 77.6 percent.
