Question: The governor just signed a new law that says everyone in a car has to wear a seat belt. But in the May 24 “Kokua Line” (is.gd/Umz98L) it said that taxi drivers are exempt. I am a taxi driver. Does this mean I don’t have to wear a seat belt or that my passengers don’t have to wear a seat belt? (Combination of questions from three cabbies.)
Answer: According to the state Department of Transportation, under the new “Universal Seat Belt” law:
>> All passengers in a taxicab need to be restrained.
“The passengers (fares) will be required to wear seat belts, and the taxi driver will be liable for anyone not wearing a seat belt,” said department spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter.
That means a citation given for each passenger not buckled in within a cab, she said. The fine for not wearing a seat belt is $92.
>> Without fare-paying passengers, the taxi driver must wear a seat belt.
>> With passengers, the taxi driver does NOT have to wear a seat belt.
Sluyter explained that at the time the original seat belt law was passed, “taxi drivers said that they would be restricted from escaping if their passengers tried to rob or assault them.”
Because of this concern, cabbies were exempted from wearing seat belts “whenever they have a fare (passenger) in the car with them on business,” she said.
>> Hawaii’s child restraint seat law did not change. Taxis and commercial motor vehicles continue to be exempt from the child restraint law, which requires children under the age of 8 to be in a restraint or booster seat.
While cabdrivers would not be ticketed if a child is not in a special seat, the lingering question is whether parents might be.
“We’re operating under the assumption that that’s not the case now,” said Sophia Chang, assistant manager for dispatch operations at Charley’s Taxi.
Charley’s does offer child restraint seats for an additional fee of $5.
Question: I only have three seat belts in the back seat and two in the front of my pickup truck. But there are six people in my family. Can I put one of them in the bed of the pickup truck, which is covered with a camper shell?
Answer: A passenger over the age of 12 would be allowed to ride, unbuckled, in the bed of a pickup truck, but only if there is no seating available in the cab and if the sides and tailgate were securely attached/closed.
Under current state and county laws, children 12 or younger are prohibited from riding in the bed of a pickup truck unless it’s an emergency or part of an official parade or caravan. It doesn’t matter if the bed is covered with a camper shell, said Michelle Yu, spokeswoman for the Honolulu Police Department.
“If all of the seat belts in the vehicle are being worn, additional passengers are not required to don seat belts,” she said.
Mahalo
To a kind couple. On April 22 I was jogging in Hawaii Kai and tripped and fell on an uneven sidewalk. I fractured my left shoulder and was bleeding from my arm and leg. The couple in a tan SUV stopped to help and went out of their way to take me home, making sure I had someone to drive me to the doctor’s. I was in so much pain that I failed to get their names, but want them to know how much I appreciated their assistance. — Maureen
Mahalo
To the kind people who came to my aid when I slipped and fell on the fourth floor of Ala Moana Center on May 2. I did not get all your names, but am deeply thankful for your concern, especially to Mr. S. Hayashi of Pearl City, who contacted security and made sure I was taken care of. Also, to Beyond Bare Waxing & Salon Beautique personnel who provided an ice pack and allowed security to use their salon to fill out a report. — Very Grateful Senior
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Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
