Child Passenger Restraints and Seatbelts

§ 291-11.5. Child passenger restraints.

(a) Children under four years of age must be in an approved child passenger restraint system when in a vehicle being operated on a public highway in the state of Hawaii.

(b) The driver is responsible to make sure the child is properly restrained. Emergency, commercial, and mass transit vehicles are exempt.

 

§ 291-11.6. Mandatory use of seat belts, when, penalty.

(a) 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 any passengers in the front or back seat of the motor vehicle are restrained by a seat belt assembly if between the ages of four and fourteen, or are restrained pursuant to section 291-11.5 if under the age of four.

(b) Drivers are responsible for themselves and passengers under the age of fifteen. Passengers fifteen years old and older must wear a seatbelt in the front seat. Passengers fifteen to seventeen years old must wear a seat belt in the rear seat.


Child Booster Seat Guidelines

Beginning January 1, 2007, children ages 4 through 7 years old will be required to ride in a child safety seat or booster seat when traveling in a motor vehicle. The only exemptions are if the child is over 4 feet, 9 inches tall, or if the vehicle has lap-only seat belts in the rear seats.

A child under 4' 9" is generally too small for an adult seat belt. The adult seat belt rides up over a child's stomach and the shoulder belt cuts across the neck, potentially causing critical or even fatal injuries during a crash.

When children outgrow child restraints with a harness, between 40 and 65 lbs. depending on seat weight limit, they should be restrained in a booster seat until they are big enough to fit in an adult seat belt (approximately 80 lbs. and 4'9" tall).

A Hawaii State tax credit of $25 per year applies to the purchase of a booster or child safety seat. The dnver will be held responsible for compliance with the law. Violators of Hawaii's Child Passenger Restraint Law are required to attend a 4-hour class and may be assessed a fine of between $100 to $500, depending upon the number of offenses.

Each year, more than 700 children between the ages of 4 and 7 years old are involved in major car crashes in Hawaii. Statistics show that children restrained by seat belts are at least 50 percent more at risk for injury than children placed in a child safety seat or booster seat.

 

Honolulu Police Department -- www.honolulupd.org