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Car papers must
be in vehicle

Question: What with all the stolen cars and car break-ins happening daily, I am very concerned about identity theft. Regarding my car registration documents: Must I keep the papers in the car whenever I drive my car? I do remove them whenever I leave the car, but occasionally my husband picks the car up during the day and doesn't get the papers from me. Is it legal for us to just have copies of the registration and safety check in our wallets since we'll always have our wallets when driving?

Answer: State law requires that the registration be kept in the motor vehicle, with certain exceptions, according to state and city officials.

The pertinent law is Section 286-47(3)(A) and 286-47(3)(D) of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Under (3)(A), it says: "Every owner shall keep the certificate of registration within the vehicle for which it is registered and shall present the same at the request of a police officer, or in the event the vehicle is a motorcycle, shall carry such certificate in a convenient receptacle attached to the vehicle and which shall be presented at the request of a police officer."

Under (3)(D): "This requirement to carry the certificate of registration with the vehicle shall not apply when such certificate is removed from the vehicle for the purpose of application for renewal, transfer of registration or to record a change in the registration."

A state Department of Transportation official noted that (3)(A) specifically says "the certificate of registration" and not "a duplicate copy," and (3)(D) specifically lists the only times the registration does not need to be in the vehicle.

"The law was written the way it is in order that law enforcement could ensure positive ID of the vehicle without having to 'call it in' for verification," explained David Mau, assistant administrator of the city Motor Vehicle and Licensing Division.

The purpose for the wording in the law is deliberate, he said, and the "registration provides proof of the registered owner and payment of taxes."

Assembly help

In the June 29 "Kokua Line," a reader was looking for any local businesses that would assemble toys or sports/exercise machinery.

Bob Lewis & Associates, located in the Honolulu Airport industrial area, offers a variety of services, including a "handyman" van that can go to your home.

The company can assemble items from toys and basketball hoops to desks and furniture, and even does computer setups, said Vice President Kerry Lewis.

Call 833-7835 for more information and prices.

Mary McAndrew, a stage technician who works for the local stage and film industry, said she and a number of friends are "good with their hands, good with tools," and would be available to do such assembly work for a small fee.

McAndrew lives on the Big Island but comes frequently to Honolulu, where many of her friends live.

She can be reached at 800-866-9761.

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