A bill to allow use of fixed, automated cameras and radar devices to ticket speeding vehicles in school zones statewide is wending through the state Senate, and should be supported. This tool to deter speeders in locations where students need extra safety protections is welcome, as is additional legislation to deter repeat offenders who drive without a licence.
The proposal for automated, camera-triggered speeding tickets may raise comparisons to an ill-fated 2002 “van cam” program that bumped up the number of speeding tickets issued on Oahu to more than 1,550 over two days, compared to about 100 daily traffic tickets of all kinds before the van cams. But today’s Senate Bill 2443 proposes a far more narrow and better justified program.
The bill includes provisions designed to sidestep the shock factor and huge bump in fines that accompanied the van cam program, leading to its public perception as a money grab designed to cite unsuspecting drivers.
SB 2443 establishes an Automated Speed Enforcement Systems Program run by either counties or the state. To operate in up to 10 school zones and using radar technology, the program requires an engineering study of a suggested location before tickets can be issued, as well as a study establishing a “baseline average” of vehicles violating the speed limit at the location over at least one week, so that results can be compared.
SB 2443 also requires an advance campaign of at least 60 days to inform the public about the program, and a 30-day warning policy for vehicles captured speeding. Signs notifying drivers that an enforcement zone is ahead would be mandated.
The equipment vendor must be paid based on service provided, rather than with a percentage of fines collected. And any fines collected would be used to operate the program in the same county.
The bill’s purpose is to deter speeding and save lives. With state Department of Transportation statistics showing that speeding has been a factor in nearly half of all fatalities involving motor vehicles, SB 2443 looks justified.
Also needed are two House bills that would deter unlicensed drivers from getting behind the wheel: House Bill 1562 makes vehicle forfeiture the maximum penalty for a third conviction of driving without a license (DWOL) within five years; House Bill 2526 hikes the penalty for a third DWOL offense to a Class C felony. The benefit of these bills is also clear: Had they been in effect before Feb. 15, 2023, they might have resulted in a different outcome for a McKinley High student.
On that day, Sara Yara, a 16-year-old student, was struck and killed on her way to school while crossing Kapiolani Boulevard at its intersection with Kamakee Street. Driver Mitchel Miyashiro, 46, was DWOL and had 164 prior traffic citations. He has since been charged with first-degree negligent homicide.
Yara’s death spurred outrage and concern, and the DOT reacted with unusual speed, installing speed humps to slow down vehicles and a red-light camera to detect violators at the intersection. Drivers must acknowledge the value of speed humps, as the proposition is clear: Drive more slowly and carefully, and fewer will be harmed.
While no traffic-calming measure — whether a speed hump, red-light camera or traffic cam — can undo Sara Yara’s loss of life, tougher enforcement of traffic laws can lead to safer behavior in the future. At a memorial rally for Yara on Saturday, her mother, Chevylyn Borce, joined with others in urging public officials to crack down on unlicensed drivers and repeat traffic offenders.
This is a necessity: So far, the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office has not sought jail time for repeat offenders caught DWOL, or repeatedly driving with no insurance. This must change, and now.
“We’re trying to make a difference in the community,” Borce said. The Legislature, state and county traffic officials and all who value human life and safe streets must join in.