Senator’s plan Drivers under 18 years old should not be driving alone from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., says the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
would curb teens’
late-night driving
Kawamoto will again propose
restrictions for youths after 10 p.m.By Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.comWhen the state Legislature convenes next week, Sen. Cal Kawamoto (D, Waipahu) plans to reintroduce a proposal to restrict youths from driving unsupervised late at night.
He is naming the proposal the "Andrew Delos Reyes Bill" for the Waipahu High School senior who died in a traffic accident April 12 on Kaukonahua Road. Two teenagers from Mililani also died in the 11:24 p.m. crash.
"Look at the accidents we're having -- young people speeding, racing, getting into accidents, causing accidents," Kawamoto said.
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The bill would require drivers 16 and 17 years old to have a licensed driver 21 years or older in the vehicle to supervise their driving between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m."The 16- and 17-year-olds don't have the experience to drive at night," Kawamoto said.
A similar proposal failed to win support among lawmakers in the last legislative session. "It died last year because I introduced it midterm," Kawamoto said.
Kawamoto said he believes there is strong support for such a law. He said the proposal is the idea of Youth in Action, the teenage arm of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "They just want to save some of their friends' lives," he said.
Delos Reyes, 18, Anthony Alexander, 17, and Jeremy Tolentino, 18, were passengers in a car that crossed the center line, crashed into a guardrail on the opposite side of Kaukonahua Road, then was hit broadside by a car heading in the opposite direction. The three teens died in the accident.
The driver of the car, Brian Dade, suffered minor injuries. Dade was already 18 at the time of the crash and would not have been prevented from driving under Kawamoto's proposed law.
"If they had that law when they were 16 and 17, they would have understood night driving is different, and hopefully would have been more responsible," Kawamoto said.
The occupants of the other car -- a 42-year-old Mililani man, his 40-year-old wife and their 11-year-old daughter -- also suffered injuries in the crash.
Police said speed and alcohol may have been factors in the crash. They opened a negligent-homicide investigation into the crash but have not charged Dade with any crime.
The families of the dead teenagers and the family in the other car have all filed lawsuits against Dade and whoever furnished him the car and alcohol.