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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.
