By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. Are license plates required on the front of a vehicle? More and more often, I see automobiles without them. If a driver commits a crime, how can Joe Citizen take down the number if it isn't there? And then there are those shaded plastic plates that obscure the plate numbers. Are those legal?

A. The law is very specific: "The owner shall securely fasten the number plates on the vehicle — one on the front and the other on the rear."

Capt. Jose Gaytan of the Honolulu Police Department's Traffic Division said the only exception is for vehicles from states where only one plate was issued. But once the motorist gets Hawai'i plates, one plate must be placed in the front, one in the back. Placing a plate on the dashboard is not acceptable, Gaytan said, because a plate must be within 12 inches from the ground.

As for those plastic covers, Gaytan said they are legal so long as it they do not obscure or distort the numbers and letters on a plate.

Not having two plates or having plates that are obstructed can cost you $50 per violation.

Q. Are there plans to install left-turn signal lights on Pu'uhale Road at the intersection with Nimitz Highway? In its present state (yield for left turns), it is a potential disaster waiting to happen, especially during rush hour. There is no shortage of cars going up and down Pu'uhale, and usually only two to three cars can make a left ('ewa or diamondhead) legally. Most times, five or six cars will be running the light turning left, all the while avoiding cars running the light going straight up Pu'uhale. Some days you wait through three or four light changes. A left-turn arrow would greatly benefit traffic flow and prevent accidents. I'm sure it could even be set up to operate only during peak hours so as not to disrupt the flow on Nimitz too much.

A. The state Department of Transportation will look into the possibility of placing left-turn arrows there, according to spokesman Scott Ishikawa. DOT officials will need to check the geometrics of Pu'uhale, monitor the traffic and the number of vehicles turning on both Nimitz and Pu'uhale, and review the accident history of the area. Engineers would then "analyze this data to see if a left-turn phase is justified," Ishikawa said.

Incidentally, he said, traffic officials believe that having a left-turn arrow during peak hours only would create considerable disruption on Nimitz.

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