HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaii, is one of less than a dozen states requiring a yearly safety check.
And drivers know it oh too well.
Ashley Kuoha who recently finished her safety check said, “Along with your registration it hurts our pockets, well it hurts my pocket.”
Now a couple of senate bills looking to make changes to that rule.
One proposes to flat-out end safety checks, while another bill suggests changes by not requiring safety checks for the first five years of new cars.
A safety check would be required every two years after five years and then annually after ten years.
Senator Chris Lee said, “I think there’s definitely an appetite when there’s people sometimes frustrated the process or have a hard time for an appointment getting in for a safety check and that’s why we’re looking at ways to try to improve that.”
The Hawaii Department of Transportation opposes both measures.
Ed Sniffen, Department of Transportation Director said, “I think there’s very good reason to look at considerations or considering the period between inspections but just based on the data that we have very difficult for us to recommend.”
The DOT said more than 15% of 2021 car models failed a safety check.
While 12.77%of 2020 models failed and it was more than 16% for 2019 car models.
Mike Verner, a French Wrench owner said, “A safety check is an opportunity for somebody to see that there’s a potential danger in the vehicle that need to be corrected before you get into some type of accident or if you’re stuck on the road, especially if you’re stuck on the freeway.”
The safety inspection list has at least 22 items, including brakes, airbags and tires.
Many drivers said that getting a yearly safety check could be a pain but they do understand the need for them.
Christian Hoke, a driver on Oahu added, “I think they should tweak the list you know make it kind of lower thing, not too much big of a checklist.”
The measures were deferred until the next transportation committee hearing. Senators will be discussing with the DOT if there’s a middle ground.
Lee added, “Are there ways where you could modify that so that you could do it a little less frequently or have some other easier way to go about doing that without having to compromise safety on the road.”