Posted on: Tuesday, May 17, 2005

DRIVE TIME

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

The statewide Click It or Ticket seat-belt campaign starts up again Monday, and this time it's out to get those 4.9 percent of you who still haven't received the message.

You know who you are, especially those of you in the 18- to 25-year-old range and those of you in pickup trucks — the groups with the highest seat-belt noncompliance rate in Hawai'i.

Now five years old, the Click It or Ticket program has been successful in Hawai'i, boosting the state's usage rate from 80 percent in 1998 to 95.1 percent last year, second-highest in the nation behind only Arizona at 95.3 percent.

The national average is 80 percent.

It's not just a numbers game, though, said state Transportation Director Rod Haraga in announcing the latest $700,000 effort that will include stepped-up police enforcement statewide as well as television, radio and movie theater announcements.

"It's really about saving lives," Haraga said.

Last year, of the 83 people who died in traffic accidents in their cars in Hawai'i, about half of them were not wearing seat belts.

So while Hawai'i has a good reputation nationwide for seat-belt use, there's still plenty of room for improvement, Haraga said.

"I'm aiming for 97 percent compliance," he said.

The most visible part of this year's campaign will be police checkpoints in all counties, said Honolulu Police Maj. Douglas Miller.

Last year, Honolulu police gave out 3,164 tickets for seat-belt violations, down from 3,598 in 2003.

"We see that drop-off as a good thing," Miller said. "It means more people are using their belts."

If you get a ticket this year, it will hurt a little more than in the past. Under a new state law, the fines and fees for not wearing a seat belt will total $92.

"We hope they're more worried about safety than the financial cost, but if that's what it takes ... " Miller said.

Haraga said the state's 95 percent compliance rate entitles it to seek extra federal money for other safety projects.

"There's an extra $100 million available to states with a compliance rate of at least 90 percent, and there are only seven states that qualify, so we're going to be seeking our fair share," he said.

Part of the extra money could be used to focus on speeding.

While the state has done a good job of cracking down on drunken drivers and encouraging seat-belt use, speeding remains a problem without much headway made. New national statistics show that Hawai'i was among just 12 states in the country where speeding accounted for 40 percent or more of all fatalities in 2003, Haraga said.

"We need to do something about that," he said.

Miller said he was disappointed that the state Legislature this year did not pass any of the proposals dealing with excessive speeding.

"We sure could have used the extra help," he said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.