View Point
View Point
THIS is scary. I recently learned about a 14-year-old child who was visiting Hawaii who could have: Fake IDs are easy to acquire
Rented a car.
How? Through buying and using a fake ID that would indicate that the youth is 21 -- the legal age for drinking and buying alcohol and entering a bar in Hawaii.
The sale of fake IDs is a booming business in Waikiki. Last month, my daughter and her friend, both 15, were stopped by a middle-aged Asian woman who shoved her hand in front of them as they were strolling through Duke's Lane, between Kuhio and Kalakaua avenues.
She asked, "You girls like buy fake ID?" They walked on. Many don't.
The fake ID is a driver's license from California, Wyoming, Colorado or other Western states. The teen is asked to select a state, choose a birthdate, have a photo taken at a nearby "shop" and plunk down $35. An authentic-looking plastic replica of the real thing, complete with color photo, is issued the next day. Some licenses say "not valid" in tiny letters; others don't.
The kid is now ready to buy alcohol, go to a bar or even rent a car, although he or she may never have driven before.
Not long ago, the teen-age daughter of a friend of mine came to the islands for a sports competition. Half way through her visit, she had some eye-opening comments: "Most of the guys on our team are 15-17 years old. The first night, they went out and bought fake IDs. One was 14. It's the thing to do when you come here."
Several nights later, armed with Wyoming licenses, the youngsters -- now "21" -- had no problem in obtaining liquor for a party. According to my friend's daughter, "Many kids got drunk. Good thing no one decided to drive!"
How many fake IDs are sold every day? Certainly hundreds and, given the aggressiveness of sellers, perhaps more than a thousand.
With Waikiki's wave of popularity among young people, sales will undoubtedly increase. Seventeen magazine's September issue named Honolulu "one of the 10 best places to live if you are a teen."
Are the IDs legal? According to the Honolulu Police Department, it's against state law to forge a Hawaii driver's license -- but not licenses from other states.
WHAT about the merchants who honor the licenses? I believe they are not clueless when they see a kid fresh out of puberty attempting to pass himself off as a 21-year-old, but it's tough to turn away a paying customer. If the bar owner is questioned by a liquor inspector, he or she can always say, "The ID looked good to me."
Convenience stores have a strict policy against selling liquor to minors and have copies of out-of-state licenses to refer to. But the fakes are excellent reproductions. If teens can produce something that looks OK, chances are they'll be able to buy liquor.
So what can be done about this? For one thing, parents must become aware of the ease with which teens can purchase alcohol, and act accordingly.
We must also push our legislators for a penalty for those who produce false identification, and institute stiffer punishment for the possession, use or acceptance of these IDs.
In sum, the thought of sharing the roadway with a drunken 14-year-old trying to figure out how to drive sends shivers down my spine.
I would guess that we have already seen deaths as a result of fake IDs. Let's put a stop to this thing before more people get killed.
C. Richard Fassler is vice chairman of the
Manoa Neighborhood Board and author of the book,
"Rainbow Kids, Hawaii's Gift to America."