Two Years Later: Is Honolulu’s Hands-Free Law Working?
06/06/2011
Flickr: Lord Jim
Most of us have done it or have seen others do it. But in Honolulu, it's illegal to use a cell phone or other mobile electronic device while driving.
In the two years since Honolulu's hands-free law went into effect, police have handed out 16,837 citations. The rate of ticketing is trending to about 10,000 a year, an average of about 27 tickets a day.
The fine and fees for first-time offenders are $97 — up from $67 per violation when the law first took effect. On July 1, the fee will rise even higher to $147.
The hands-free law was passed in an attempt to cut down on people using cell phones while driving. But because of a computer issue, the Honolulu Police Department can't track whether accidents are caused by drivers using cell phones.
All of Hawaii's county police agencies use the same accident report, designed by the State Department of Transportation.
“It does allow an officer to check a box for 'Cellular Phone,' another box for 'Other Electronic Communication Device' and another box for 'Other Electronic Device,'” HPD spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter told Civil Beat. “However, these reports are entered into the current HPD Records Management System, which is not designed to capture these statistics.”
Sluyter adds that HPD is trying to get a new, up-to-date system.
