Police to ticket motorists not using safety belts

By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

Buckle up or pay the fine.

That's the message from the state Department of Transportation and the Honolulu Police Department as they kick off next week's annual "Click it or Ticket" campaign.

This year's campaign will focus on those passengers and drivers least likely to buckle up: 18- to 25-year-olds and drivers of pickup trucks.

The department is working with all four county police departments on the campaign which starts Monday and ends June 6.

The campaign, used by cities nationwide to encourage motorists to buckle up, establishes checkpoints at strategic locations throughout the state to ensure that drivers and their passengers are wearing safety belts.

If pulled over and caught without a seat belt on, a $77 fine will be assessed, no exceptions.

"We hope no one gets a seat belt citation ... just buckle up and be safe," said Rodney Haraga, Department of Transportation director. "There are better ways at spending $77 than on a seat belt ticket, but there is no price tag on surviving a car accident because you wore your seat belt."

According to the department, police officers issued 3,598 citations for seat belt violations statewide in May 2003, a drop from 4,734 tickets handed out during the 2002 campaign.

"We're concerned that a fraction of the motoring public is not wearing seat belts," said Honolulu Police Maj. Doug Miller. "More than half of the fatal accidents this year involved people not wearing seatbelts."

Hawai'i's seat belt laws require buckling up for all front seat occupants, as well as juveniles in the back seat. State law also requires children under the age of 4 to ride in a child safety seat.

After last year's campaign, Hawai'i ranks second only to Washington state in rate of seat belt use at 91.78 percent, Haraga said. The department's goal is to reach 95 percent, and Haraga guaranteed U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta that Hawai'i will eventually lead the nation in rate of seat belt use.

The national seat belt use average is about 75 percent.

"We're not about making money," Haraga said. "We're about safety."

The entire campaign is paid for with a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The grant covers all advertisements and overtime costs for police officers. Police from all patrol districts on O'ahu will participate in the campaign. Officers on all Neighbor Islands are also part of the effort.

Yesterday Miller stressed that officers on "Click it or Ticket" duty would not be giving warnings.

"If drivers enter public roadways they are fair game," he said.

Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com