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Fatal crashes
often involve
illegal drivers

The state has the nation's
fifth highest percentage of illegal
drivers involved in deaths,
a survey reveals

Isles rank low in deaths
from running red lights

By Mary Adamski
Star-Bulletin

One of every five traffic deaths in the islands involved a driver without a valid license.

Hawaii had the fifth highest percentage in the nation of illegal drivers involved in fatal crashes, according to a national study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The report "Unlicensed to Kill" released yesterday examined traffic data from 1993 through 1997.

"These numbers indicate that improperly licensed drivers are endangering the safety of all motorists," said Richard E. Velasquez, AAA Hawaii group manager.

Nationwide, the number of improperly licensed drivers involved in fatal crashes was 13.8 percent. The only places surpassing Hawaii's 22 percent were California, Arizona, New Mexico and the District of Columbia.

The study did not sort out whether the unlicensed were the victim or the cause of a crash, but it indicates that many traffic deaths occurred in a pattern of illegal behavior. Of the Hawaii drivers without proper licenses, 70 percent chose to drive even though their driving privileges had been suspended or revoked for drunken driving or other offenses.

The report found that those driving despite revocation were nearly four times more likely to be intoxicated behind the wheel, 20 times more likely to have had a drunken-driving conviction and 31 times more likely to have three or more license suspensions than valid drivers. People who ignored license suspensions were similarly dangerous, nearly three times more likely to be driving while intoxicated, 11 times more likely to have a DUI conviction and nearly 24 times more likely to have suspensions.

It doesn't surprise police that license revocations and suspensions don't deter drivers. Honolulu police Capt. Bryan Wauke said: "We average about 800 citations a month for invalid licenses, either revoked, suspended, expired." He said license status is a secondary, not primary, enforcement issue. "We don't stop a driver because we think they're not licensed. At every stop, we ask if they have a license and if not, we issue a citation." But the violation rarely leads to a severe court penalty, he said.

"We have looked at it as a factor (in fatalities) but now we know what a big percentage it is, we can start looking at remedies," said Wauke of the Traffic Division.

Since withdrawing driving privileges doesn't work, ways to "engineer around" the problem were suggested in the study. One way would be to impound the driver's vehicle. Another proposal is wider implementation of the ignition interlock device, which involves a breath-alcohol test and is used in some places for multiple drunken-driving offenders.

"Impounding can be a very effective deterrent," said Steve Bloch, senior research associate with AAA of Southern California. He said California police have impounded about 150,000 vehicles a year after owners were caught driving without proper licenses. The law provides that the vehicles be held for 30 days.

Wauke said: "There is a big cost factor to impounding and storing vehicles. We just talked to the Legislature about taking vehicle license plates from repeat DUI offenders which could accomplish the same thing."

California has also accelerated the use of the ignition interlock, Bloch said. A suspended driver may get his license back sooner if he agrees to installation of the device. "You blow into the device to prove you aren't drinking," Bloch explained. The device beeps at random times requiring further proof while the car is in operation.

Even more high-tech is the electronic driver's license proposed in the study. Like a bank card, it would work in concert with an on-board computer and ignition interlock to verify the driver's identification and open access to the vehicle.

"It hasn't been tested any place, it's just an interesting idea," said Bloch.

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Isles rank low in
deaths from running
red lights

Star-Bulletin staff

Hawaii is among states with the fewest number of deaths resulting from vehicles running red lights, a study released today shows.

Hawaii ranks 10th from the bottom of states and Honolulu was sixth from the bottom of 78 major cities ranked according to deaths per 100,000 population.

Arizona was the worst state with 305 deaths --7.1 per 100,000 population -- in the period studied, 1992 to 1998.

And Phoenix was the worst city, with 122 deaths or 10.8 per 100,000 population.

Hawaii had nine deaths -- 0.8 per 100,000 population. Honolulu had five deaths or 1.3 per 100,000 population.

North Dakota had the best state record: No deaths. Columbus, Ohio, topped the cities with only three deaths -- 0.5 per 100,000 population.

The grim conclusion nationwide, however, was that more than 800 people die and some 200,00 are injured each year because of drivers speeding through red traffic lights.

The study, done for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, showed almost 6,000 people died in such crashes between 1992 and 1998.

More than half were pedestrians and occupants of other vehicles hit by red light runners. Another 2,779 deaths occurred in the vehicles running the lights and about 1.5 million people were injured.