The citation could, however, be “frowned upon” by an insurance company, should the company request a driver’s abstract as part of its determination to provide coverage, police said.
Stephens Media
Better fasten that seat belt and ignore that cellphone while driving your car.
Between July 1 and Dec. 31 of last year, Big Island police cited 561 seat belt violators and 108 cellphone users at traffic-enforcement checkpoints islandwide.
Partial funding for the seat belt checkpoints came from a federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Seatbelt Enforcement Grant, which was administered through the state Department of Transportation. Police received about $72,000 to conduct the checkpoints.
The grant program differs from the “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which also is a federal grant aimed at seat belt enforcement, and is among a number of grants the Hawaii Police Department pursues annually to combat unsafe driving.
While the checkpoints are aimed primarily at enforcing Hawaii seat belt and Hawaii County cellphone-use laws, police said it affords officers an opportunity to interact with the public, provide information and education and possibly identify other violations or apprehend individuals who are wanted on warrants.
In addition to seat belt and cellphone citations, police at the checkpoints doled out 550 non-moving violations, which includes weight tax, registration and safety inspection infractions, 269 moving violations, which includes not having no-fault insurance and driving without a license, and 57 speeding tickets.
Hawaii law requires seat belts for those riding in a vehicle’s front seat and those 17 and younger riding in the rear seats. The fine for a seat belt violation is $92, according to Hawaii Revised Statutes.
According to the Hawaii County Code, a citation for the use of cellphones or other mobile devices could net a fine up to $150 and up to $500 if the violation occurred in conjunction with an accident.
Though a cellphone or seat belt citation will end up on a driver’s abstract, police said it is not classified in District Court as a moving violation, and therefore it will not directly impact a person’s car insurance.
The citation could, however, be “frowned upon” by an insurance company, should the company request a driver’s abstract as part of its determination to provide coverage, police said.