Posted on: Friday, June 10, 2005
Maui may simplify accident follow-up
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
WAILUKU, Maui — Minor traffic accidents and parking lot collisions in Maui's busiest districts will no longer be investigated by police, as part of a six-month test program aimed at reducing officers' caseloads.
Police will still respond to all calls in traffic collisions to make sure drivers are licensed and insured and cars registered, but if no one is injured and the damage is less than $3,000, motorists will be given an information-exchange form to submit to their insurance companies. Police will no longer complete multi-page accident report forms that require a diagram of the accident scene and other detailed information.
The Honolulu Police Department has been using a similar information-exchange system, and does not require full documentation for minor or civil collisions, said Lt. Bennett Martin of HPD's Traffic Division.
The test program on Maui begins July 1 and will be in effect in the Wailuku, Lahaina and Kihei districts, where 5,847 minor and civil collisions were investigated last year. Civil collisions are those that take place on private property.
Capt. Charles Hirata of the Maui Police Department said it was determined that these types of traffic cases make up 10 percent of an officer's workload. Police are not required to do the full reports for minor collisions, he said, but have been doing so "as a favor" to insurance companies and motorists.
But while police reports are helpful, insurers usually do their own investigations into civil claims to determine who is responsible for a collision, said Marie Weite, a claims adjustor with First Insurance Co. who worked with Hirata to develop the new forms. "We always prefer the police officer to take down every bit of evidence, but we know that's not possible," Weite said.
The forms contain sufficient information for insurance companies to begin the claims process, and Hirata said they should speed up the process because drivers won't have to go to the police station to obtain a copy of a collision report.
Weite and Hirata said people involved in accidents should still call police regardless of the extent of damage.
"Police will verify the information so we don't have those people who don't have insurance or have bogus insurance cards get away," Weite said.
Maui police will continue to pursue drunken driving, hit-and-run and reckless driving cases in all collisions, and will investigate after-the-fact if it is determined that damage exceeded $3,000 or if serious injuries develop as a result of the accident.
On the Big Island, where full reports are required on all accidents, Sgt. Dexter Veriato of the Hawai'i County Police Department's Traffic Services said paring back to a simple information-exchange form is "a good idea."
"I hope someday we'll jump on the bandwagon," he said.
"It would really help us with manpower."
The Kaua'i Police Department doesn't use an information-exchange system but officers do use an abbreviated form for minor collisions, according to Assistant Chief Clayton Arinaga. He said switching to the simpler information-exchange forms has been discussed, but Kaua'i police aren't ready to move in that direction yet.
Hirata said the six-month trial will be evaluated at the end of the year to determine if the change should be made permanent and expanded.
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
