Question: I nearly got hit by a car on Kapiolani Boulevard by the mall. I was in the crosswalk, with the signal to walk. I tried to make eye contact with the driver, but their windshield was so dark I could barely see them and obviously they didn’t see me! And I couldn’t read the license plate. Does anybody check this stuff?
Q: The white paint on my Hawaii license plates, about 15 years old, is flaking off. How do I request a new set? I’m willing to get a new license plate number if necessary. If I were driving a beater I wouldn’t bother, but it’s a well-maintained Mercedes.
Q: Regarding license plates with the ‘okina, when they do become available will anybody be able to get these or are they only for new cars?
Answer: Kokua Line has received a flurry of questions about the rules for registering and inspecting motor vehicles and replacing license plates, especially as the city’s Division of Motor Vehicles awaits a replenished stock of standard and EV license plates that have an okina in the word “Hawai‘i.” Harold Nedd, a spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services, emailed responses that answered these readers’ questions and more, which we supplemented with details from the department’s website and Hawaii Revised Statutes.
Nedd said CSD has urged motor vehicle inspection stations to pay particular attention to three areas of concern in order to aid law enforcement officers, “as they can hinder identification of either the vehicle or occupants”:
>> Damaged or defaced license plates. “A license plate that has its color fading or bleached out, has peeling reflective material, or is difficult to read is considered damaged or defaced and must be replaced.” Vehicles with damaged or defaced license plates are prohibited from passing inspection.
>> License plate covers. State law prohibits the covering of a license plate, even with a transparent cover. Vehicles with any type of license plate cover should not pass inspection.
>> Tinting on windows. Vehicles must meet state law on window tinting or fail inspection.
Rules on vehicle window tinting are found in Hawaii Revised Statutes 291-21.5, 808ne.ws/ 43s3K4C, which allows nonreflective tint on front windshields no lower than 4 inches from the top of the windshield. Tinting of a whole window is allowed on side and rear windows, but for sedans the visible light transmission, or VLT, must be at least 35%, plus or minus 6%. VLT refers to the percentage of light that can pass through the window tint.
These factors are inspected annually. Besides the vehicle failing inspection, vehicle owners and tint installers who break the rules can be fined under the law.
Based on your observations, it’s possible the vehicle you saw did not have a valid safety check sticker.
Getting back to the second and third questions, unless someone is replacing a personalized plate, the license plate number on the replacement will be different from their old plate. “It’s not possible to keep the same letter/number combination on a damaged license plate. That number would be retired and a new letter/number combination would be issued,” Nedd said.
Anyone who needs to replace their license plate can do so now, including the reader with the Mercedes, but because of a shortage of standard license plates they’ll have to choose one of 15 organization decal license plates, or any of the specialty plates that provide monetary support to the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Haleakala National Park or Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Nedd said.
If their current license plates are still readable they may prefer to wait to replace them until the supply of standard and EV license plates is replenished, which should occur by May at the latest.
Lastly, the okina plate won’t be restricted to new vehicles. Owners of existing vehicles won’t be required to change out their old plates once the okina plates are widely available, but they can choose to do so, according to the CSD website.
They would follow the same process as replacing a lost, stolen or mutilated license plate, which is explained at 808ne.ws/ 4kpQcg6; the site includes a link to the necessary form, CSL(MVR)3.
They would submit the completed form, which must be signed by the vehicle’s registered owner; the vehicle’s certificate of registration; and the old license plate (if available) and pay $5.50 in fees. This is an express window service, no appointment required, at satellite city halls on Oahu, according to the CSD website. If you prefer, make an appointment at AlohaQ.org to avoid potentially long lines. Also, anyone replacing a stolen license plate should report the theft to Honolulu police.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
