Kokua Line

By June Watanabe

Tuesday, February 24, 1998

Golfers on city courses
liable if ball hits passing car

Last month, while I was driving past the Pali Golf Course, a ball almost hit my car. If a ball shattered the windshield or there had been some other damage, who is liable? Do they have to find the golfer who hit the ball?

If your car was hit by a golf ball, you should call the golf course involved and ask for an accident claim form, said Dave Mills, golf course systems administrator for the city Department of Auditoriums.

"The city would do the investigation" of city courses like the Pali, he said. Ideally, the responsible golfer would be held liable, and there are signs posted to that effect. But it's not easy to track down the errant golfer, so depending on what the investigation finds, the city may end up paying for damages, Mills said.

There are about six to eight such accident claims a year involving city courses, such as the Ala Wai, Pali and West Loch, which are located along well-traveled roads.

Our family owns a modest motor home, which we store on the mainland. Long-term residents of Hawaii, we wish to license the vehicle here and proudly display Hawaii tags. However, when we attempted to register our motor home here, we were told that we must have a "valid" Hawaii inspection. Is there any procedure we can follow that will enable us to license our motor home here in our home state? It's a sure winner for the state: all the revenue and no burden on highway facilities.

The problem you might have is with the laws of another state, not Hawaii law.

"Some states will not recognize another state's registration if that vehicle is domiciled in that state," said Dennis Kamimura, city motor vehicle licensing administrator. "The problem is that (you) might get a ticket from highway patrol."

The first thing to do is find out if the state involved will recognize a Hawaii license plate. Specify it's a motor home that's being stored there, Kamimura said.

If there is no requirement for an in-state license, he said to contact the city motor vehicle office (532-4324) and ask for a form "for a vehicle that's temporarily located in another state."

You will have to pay the normal motor vehicle tax, but with a certificate showing the vehicle is out of state, you will be exempt from the safety inspection requirement.

How can I waterproof boots and shoes so I can walk through water and mud and slush and not get my feet wet?

We looked in the telephone Yellow Pages under "shoe repair" and got an answer from Mary LoPresti, manager of Joe Pacific Shoe Repair.

She said the shop will do the job for you if you wish, but "the best thing is to buy a can of waterproof and do it yourself." That's because the solution will wear off and you have to keep repeating the process, she said.

The shop sells the solution. You can check with other shoe repair shops listed, as well.

Auwe

To how Hawaii is changing. I really miss Woolworth's, which had simple little things that are so useful in life that you can't find anyplace else. Like swimming caps with flowers on them. And now KCCN is going to talk radio. It was so nice to drive around listening to nice Hawaiian music instead of all the arguing and kvetching. Tell them they're crazy to go to talk radio. -- N.L.

Auwe

To the person complaining about the smoke from chickens being cooked outside Pacific Poultry on Nimitz. I enjoy the smells of the chicken cooking and often stop to pick up some for a quick dinner for my family. Not everyone is irritated by this. It's part of our culture and makes living in Hawaii special. -- T.P.