STAND. COM. REP. NO. 93

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 428

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 428 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DRIVER LICENSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a three-stage driver's licensing program for persons under the age of eighteen.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Health, Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, Mothers Against Drunk Driving-Hawaii, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, Hawaii Insurers Council, Motor Vehicle Crash Reduction Group, and two individuals. Testimony in opposition was received from the Public Defender.

Your Committee finds that teenage drivers are disproportionately involved in crashes, including fatal crashes. There are several reasons for this. They are inexperienced new drivers, and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as speeding and racing, particularly in the company of their peers. They are also more likely to become distracted and inattentive while driving.

Your Committee believes that provisional licenses will help to reduce crashes and the resulting injuries and deaths. Teen drivers will be given more driving supervision and driving practice before becoming fully licensed. According to testimony of the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, states with a graduated licensing system have reported a significant reduction in fatalities and driving convictions. States that have night time driving restrictions as part of graduated licensing have had reductions in fatalities of up to fifty-three percent (Wisconsin) and in all crashes of up to twenty-five percent (North Carolina) involving teen drivers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration encourages states to implement a graduated driver licensing system. Easing young drivers onto the roadways by controlling their exposure to progressively more difficult driving experiences can reduce the incidence of traffic crashes involving young drivers.

Your Committee has amended this measure by replacing it with S.B No. 849, a similar measure, on the recommendation of the DOT.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 428, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 428, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Government Operations,

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair