Lt. Governor's Bill Signing News Release
LT. GOVERNOR AIONA SIGNS IGNITION INTERLOCK BILL
For Immediate Release: June 14, 2010
HONOLULU — Lt. Governor Aiona today signed into law
Senate Bill 2897, as acting governor, which strengthens the ignition
interlock law in Hawai`i.
"This measure provides resources to
improve our efforts to stop impaired driving and the tragedies that
result from drunk driving," said Lt. Governor Aiona. "Most of the
injuries, fatalities and property damage caused by drunk drivers are
preventable and we must keep these drivers off of our highways."
The
measure, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2011, is the third of three laws
enacted since 2008 to implement the ignition interlock program to keep
drunk drivers off of Hawai`i's highways.
In 2008, Governor
Lingle signed Act 171 that established the framework for an ignition
interlock program in Hawai`i. That Act created a 26-member Task Force to
work out the steps to implement the program.
In 2009, the
Governor signed Act 88 that addressed some of the key implementation
issues and extended the Task Force for another year. It also gave the
State Department of Transportation (DOT) rulemaking authority to operate
the program and allowed the department to seek a single vendor to
install and maintain the interlock devices.
The latest law
updates the previous two measures and makes policy changes. Most
notably, this measure eliminates probation for second and third time
offenders and instead these convicted offenders will be required to show
"proof of compliance" with the interlock law.
Additional
highlights of the new law include:
- Creates the offense of tampering with an interlock device or aiding and abetting the circumvention of a device. Those convicted are subject to fines and jail time.
- Makes refusal to submit to a breath, blood or urine test a petty misdemeanor.
- Clarifies definition, including the definition of ignition interlock device, and repeals the definition of highly intoxicated driver.
- Specifies the contents of the notification of revocation of a driver’s license, or vehicle registration including terms for surrendering of a vehicle’s license plates.
- Forbids issuing an ignition interlock system to a person who was arrested and did not hold a valid driver’s license at the time they were driving.
"I applaud our ignition interlock Task Force
members, which include county prosecutors, public defenders, public
safety officers, transportation officials and highway safety advocates,
for the long hours and hard work they put in to make our roads safe,"
the Lt. Governor added.
For more information, contact:
Jonathan
Bolivar
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Phone: (808) 586-0255
