Maui Police Issue 216 Cell Phone Citations

Maui Now graphic.

Maui police issued a total of 216 cell phone violations last week during an enforcement effort aimed at curbing distracted driving.

Lieutenant William Hankins, Maui Police Department Traffic Division Commander said that as of April 15, Maui Police had issued a total of 740 citations for cell phone violations so far in 2019.  During the 2018 calendar year, a total of 2964 cell phone citations were issued by Maui Police.

Last week’s enforcement was done in coordination with the State Department of Transportation as part of the National Highway Transportation Highway Safety Administration’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

As part of the enforcement effort, the Maui Police Department Traffic Division worked saturation patrols at various locations focusing enforcement efforts on violations related to driving while texting or talking on cell phones.

Lt. Hankins said the saturation patrol efforts yielded numerous violations and several arrests. Maui Police traffic officers issued the following citations:

• 211 Cell Phone violations,
• 5 Cellphone/School zone violations,
• 6 Child Restraint violations,
• 130 Seatbelt violations, and
• 73 other traffic violations.

Officers also made six arrests for various warrants and one arrest for Operating a Vehicle under the Influence of Liquor.

“The national distracted driver awareness campaign will continue until the end of the month,” said Lt. Hankins, “However, the Maui Police Department will continue its efforts year round to address and enforce all traffic laws and promote safe driving practices for all those who utilize county and state roadways.”