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Question: Regarding Click It or Ticket, is it true that a motorist will get a separate fine for each unbuckled passenger? So if there are three people unbuckled it would triple the cost?
Answer: Yes. “The fine for unrestrained occupants on Oahu, Hawaii and Maui is $102, and the fine on Kauai is $112. Drivers will receive one citation for each unrestrained occupant in the vehicle,” Jai Cunningham, spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation, said in an email Friday. “So, yeah, double, triple, quadruple whammy!”
Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 291-11.6 says that “except as otherwise provided by law, no person shall operate a motor vehicle upon any public highway unless the person is restrained by a seat belt assembly and all passengers in the front or back seat of the motor vehicle are restrained by a seat belt assembly or are restrained pursuant to section 291-11.5 if they are under 10 years of age.” HRS 291-11.5 describes acceptable safety restraints for child passengers at various ages from birth to age 9.
HRS 291-11.6 has several exemptions, such as for emergency vehicles, mass transit vehicles and school buses.
Law enforcement agencies in all four counties have stepped up seat belt enforcement during the Click It or Ticket campaign, which began Monday and continues through June 4. Citations are issued day and night, the DOT said in a news release.
Hawaii’s effort is part of a national high-visibility enforcement campaign to improve traffic safety. In 2022, nearly 40% of motor vehicle occupants who died in Hawaii crashes — 19 of 48 — weren’t wearing seat belts, according to the DOT. That percentage is running higher this year, as six of 14 motor vehicle occupants killed in crashes from Jan. 1 to May 10 — or nearly 43% — were reportedly not wearing a seat belt, the DOT said.
Q: I have been having trouble finding Huy Fong’s Sriracha in the markets. Is there another shortage again like there was in early 2022?
A: Yes, according to national news reports. Huy Fong Foods Inc., the Irwindale, Calif.-based maker of the popular hot sauce, told CBS News, the Los Angeles Times and other news outlets in mid-April that it still can’t get enough red jalapeno chile peppers from Mexico — the main Sriracha ingredient — to keep up with demand for its popular condiment.
The rooster-adorned plastic squeeze bottle with a green cap is a staple in many home and restaurant kitchens. A drought last summer in a key growing region disrupted the supply, and although the company resumed some Sriracha production last fall, shortages persist. In April, the company said it had a limited supply of red jalapenos, couldn’t predict when its supply would return to normal, and described the situation as an “unprecedented inventory shortage,” news reports said.
We called and emailed the company on Friday seeking updates, but got no response by deadline.
Q: Will the Punchbowl ceremony be on TV?
A: Yes, the Memorial Day ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific will be broadcast live Monday on ‘Olelo Channel 49, starting at 8:30 a.m. The public also is welcome to attend the ceremony in person.
Auwe
Auwe to the woman walking her two dogs behind Mission Memorial on the grounds of the Civic Center. She stopped for her dog to poop. She stood there smiling and when she saw me watching her, she asked if she could help me. I replied, “You need to pick that up.” She then sarcastically asked if I wanted to pick it up, to which I replied “No, that’s your job … .” No class. We all need to do our part to keep our city clean and safe. — K.K.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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