New Seat Belt Law Enacted as State Kicks Off ‘Click It or Ticket’

File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

A new seat belt bill will be signed into law today as the state gears up for its annual “Click it or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign.

The governor is expected to sign Senate Bill 4 into law that will require all occupants of a vehicle to buckle up or be restrained in a child passenger seat while traveling on any public highway in Hawaiʻi.

The bill is one of two traffic safety measures being signed into law today that are aimed at saving lives and reducing serious injuries from motor vehicle crashes.

The other bill, HB980, will establish a state law that creates consistent requirements across all counties banning the use of mobile electronic devices while driving.

The bill signings are being done in conjunction with the state Department of Transportation’s launch of the annual Click It Or Ticket seat belt enforcement effort which runs May 20 to June 2, 2013.

The Click It Or Ticket mobilization is a partnership between the state and counties that is made possible in part through federal funding.  During the campaign police statewide will be continuing enforcement of seat belt and child passenger restraint laws.