Traffic laws aiming to crack down on speeding and drivers with no insurance

HONOLULU (KHON2) — There could be new laws affecting drivers soon, lawmakers passed several measures that they said will make the roads safer, including adding speeding cameras, citing noisy mufflers and increasing the minimum insurance liability coverage.

Several traffic-related bills are headed to the governor’s desk as the 2024 Legislative comes to an end soon.

A bill to increase fines for noisy mufflers was a bill that the Waikiki neighborhood board supported. The law would only be enforceable in counties with a population of at least 500,000 residents. The first citation could cost drivers with noisy mufflers $100, citations would increase with repeat offenses. A second citation could cost $500 and a third citation within five years, $1,500.

State Senator Chris Lee said, “Folks driving around with no mufflers or modified noisy mufflers keep people up at all hours of the night 2, 3 in the morning, especially in the urban area.”

Citations for drivers without car insurance could also face higher penalties.

Also, drivers with a minimum liability coverage may soon have to double it. The minimum liability coverage could increase to at least $40,000 per person with an aggregate limit of $80,000 per accident.

“What it does mean is when someone is out on the road and they get hit by someone who has minimum insurance that they are not going to be screwed,” said Lee. “Because all of a sudden there’s not nearly enough coverage to pay for fixes to a vehicle or in the worst case pay for medical costs.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers are also cracking down on drivers speeding by approving the installation of speed cameras in locations where the red light cameras are already in place.

Lee said, “Hawaii has had hundreds of serious injuries and sadly hundred plus fatalities each year for the last decade or so.”

Five million dollars would be appropriated to the Hawaii Department of Transportation for this project. This included a study of the intersections where the speed cameras would be placed to set a baseline of the average number of drivers going past the speed limit.

For the first 30 days, drivers will receive a warning. After that, the car’s registered owner could be cited if caught driving five miles over the speed limit.

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July 10 is the deadline for Governor Josh Green to sign or veto the bills.