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Rules set out standards
for safety checks

Question: My parents are continuously frustrated with getting a safety inspection for their BMW. First, they were told by several stations that the parking/turn signal cover must be yellow with a white bulb. However, their car, my car and many cars we see have it the opposite way: white cover with yellow bulb. They were told it was a rule. So how are all these other cars, including mine, getting their stickers? Secondly, several places just look at their car and say it is "lowered" and needs to be inspected at a "recon station." How can they tell by just looking? The car was designed that way and was not lowered in any way! Are there procedures to check if a car has been lowered? If everything were consistent at different stations, it would not be so bad getting an annual inspection.

Answer: The parking/turn signal cover can be either color, depending on what it's used for.

Citing Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 108, Dennis Kamimura, the city's administrator of Motor Vehicles & Licensing, said the cover does not necessarily have to be yellow; it "may be white with a yellow bulb."

But if the parking/turn signal is also used as a "front marker," then "it must have a yellow reflector inside the assembly," Kamimura said. "If there is a separate yellow reflective front marker assembly, the parking/turn signal does not need the yellow reflector inside the assembly."

Meanwhile, if a vehicle has not been lowered from the manufacturer's standards, then no reconstruction inspection is required, he said.

But sometimes it's difficult to tell whether a vehicle has been lowered or not. In that case, a check with the local dealer may be necessary, Kamimura said.

If the inspection station has any doubts, his office recommends that the vehicle be referred to the Motor Vehicle Control Section, which will measure the vehicle's clearance and compare the measurement with the manufacturer's standard.

The inspection station could also just call the dealer directly, he said.

Meanwhile, Kamimura said if you or your parents have concerns regarding "the conduct of a safety inspection," call the Motor Vehicle Control Safety Inspection Section at 733-2542.

If the vehicle is at the inspection station at the time, a motor vehicle control inspector could "possibly" resolve the situation, he said, emphasizing "possibly."

Auwe

I was driving on Kalanianaole Highway about 6 p.m. Saturday, April 16. There were quite a few cars on the road, but traffic was flowing smoothly. My three passengers and I were alongside a Honda with a "Student Driver" sign on the roof. There was only the male driver (no student), who was driving while holding and reading a newspaper, his hands on the wheel, flipping through the paper. Then he put the paper down and proceeded to dial and talk on his cell phone. Parents, beware if you have entrusted this person with teaching your children the correct habits of driving! -- Appalled

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