Question: Currently there are two car seats in our family car (sedan). We will be having out-of-town guests, and if we all go out together, not everyone will be able to fit in the car at once. Is there a way to carry the children (i.e., place them on laps) so that everyone can fit? Or do we have to make multiple trips or rent a car, which we would like to avoid since it’s only for two to three days? Also, for future reference, what is the law on having car seats for visiting children? It would be hard for us to get a car seat just for a couple of days. With strict car seat and seat belt laws, I would appreciate any information.
Answer: Only in specific instances are children who otherwise are required to be in a child restraint seat allowed to sit on someone’s lap, but they have to be in the back seat.
The law doesn’t differentiate between children who live here and those who are visiting.
Under Section 291-11.5 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, children who are required to be in car safety seats are exempt only under these specific circumstances: the number of people in a vehicle exceeds the number of available or originally installed seat belts, and all available seat belts are being used to restrain passengers.
“In these cases, children not in a restraint system, car safety seat or booster seat must be in the back seat,” a DOT spokesman said. If the stated conditions are not met, all child passengers must be properly restrained in an approved restraint system, he said.
Despite this exemption, the DOT “and its federal, county and community partners strongly urge all motorists to buckle up their keiki properly on every trip, every time,” he said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13. But, by using a properly installed child safety seat, fatalities can be reduced by as much as 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers.
CHILD RESTRAINT LAW
The law requires children under the age of 4 to be in a federally approved child safety seat, while children 4 through 7 should be in a federally approved safety or booster seat.
However, children age 4 to 7 who are over 4 feet 9 inches tall or weigh more than 40 pounds may be held by regular seat belts, but they are required to be in the back seat.
Violators face fines ranging from $100 for first-time offenders to $500 for the third or subsequent offense, mandatory attendance in driver’s education classes, a possible $50 driver’s education assessment, plus a $10 neurotrauma special fund surcharge and a $10 trauma system special fund surcharge.
“Last year the four county police departments issued a total of 2,206 child-restraint citations,” the DOT spokesman said. For more information, go to the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition Hawaii website at kipchawaii.org.
FERAL BIRD-FEEDING
In our Sept. 27 column about the new law empowering the state Department of Health to cite people for feeding birds if it becomes a public health nuisance, the DOH said the “proven and highly effective” solution would be to ban bird-feeding in specific areas.
It pointed to the city’s ban on bird-feeding in the area around the Honolulu Zoo as effectively dealing with safety issues caused by the feeding.
However, state Rep. Gregg Takayama, who pushed for the new law, says the city ordinance only applies to city-owned property “and does nothing to ban bird-feeding at private residences.”
“Also, unlike the new state law, the city ordinance makes no distinction between casual, harmless backyard bird-feeding and grossly excessive feeding that attracts hundreds of pigeons,” he said.
“Trying to pass the buck to the city is not a solution to the statewide problem of bird messes created by irresponsible neighbors.”
MAHALO
To Skyler, from nearby Longs Drugs Kaheka, for helping us pick up my mom when she accidentally slipped from her wheelchair to the curb on Kaheka Street. We really appreciated your help. Our mom is fine. — Two Grateful Daughters
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