Drivers 17 and younger would be barred from talking and texting on cell phones, applying makeup and eating while behind the wheel under one of five laws proposed by Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday to reduce traffic fatalities.

Other measures would require mo-ped drivers to wear helmets, crack down on reckless motorists and slap stiffer penalties on those with even minor traces of alcohol while operating commercial vehicles. Another proposal would let counties install cameras in intersections to catch red-light runners.

While state officials expect opposition to some of the ideas - similar red-light bills have stalled in the Legislature for years - they argue the state has a duty to act to make roads safer.

In 2006, when 161 people died on Hawaii roads, the state had the nation's highest rate of alcohol-related traffic deaths and was ranked near the top for motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists killed.

“;Most of these accidents are preventable,”; Lingle said in a news conference, next to safety advocates and Democratic leaders. “;We have the ability - we being people in the Legislature - to pass laws that can help.”;

Leah Marx, executive director of the Hawaii chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said all the measures “;are extremely important.”; They include:

» Allowing judges to impose fines ranging from $500 to $2,500 on dangerous drivers, suspend licenses, order an anger management or driving course and up to 30 days' imprisonment.

» Fining drivers of commercial vehicles up to $500 depending on their blood alcohol level, starting with 0.01 percent, down from the current 0.04 percent.

State Transportation Director Brennon Morioka said the package of bills is aimed at changing driver behavior. He said if the laws passed, teenagers who hold graduated driver's licenses would be less likely to use cell phones or become distracted by multitasking once they became adult drivers. Hands-free phones also would be prohibited under the measure.

As for the helmet bill, Morioka said only mo-peds were targeted because operators tend be less experienced than motorcycle riders, who also can ride helmet-free.

He said the laws could help reduce the average number of traffic deaths from 140 a year to 100 by 2012.

“;There is no one silver bullet to provide safety on our roads,”; he said. “;I think those numbers clearly show we have a lot of work to do.”;

House Transportation Chairman Joseph Souki, a strong backer of using cameras to bust motorists ignoring red lights, said he believed the measures have “;a good chance”; of passage.

“;It's always good to have a package of bills that we have worked collaboratively on and created something that many of us can buy into,”; added Sen. J. Kalani English, chairman of the Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.

In 2002 a state program in which roadside vans pointed cameras at speeders was scrapped after four months because of public outcry. Motorists complained the private company contracted for that project had incentives for issuing speeding tickets because it was paid for each citation.

State transportation officials say the red-light camera proposal would require all money collected from fines to pay for the technology and administration of the program.