LIHU‘E — Senate Bill 160, which calls for lowering the threshold of blood alcohol concentration for the offense of operating a vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant, is making its way through the state Senate.
SB 160 had its first reading on Tuesday. The bill was then sent to the Judiciary &Hawaiian Affairs Committee for review.
On Wednesday, a variety of groups, including the Kaua‘i Police Department, Hale ‘Opi‘o, the Boys &Girls Club and others gathered with the Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance Initiatives to host a sign waving event with several dozen people on the lawn of the Historic County Building on Rice Street.
The event was designed to demonstrate support for SB 160, but expanded to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking (intoxicants) and driving.
Chelsea Gonzalves, of HIAPA, came over from Honolulu to join the group concerned about drinking and driving and lowering the blood alcohol concentration from 0.08 to 0.05.
“Kawena Bagano of the Alu Like and HIAPA comes over to Honolulu to support,” Gonzalves said. “I can come over to help support her. Polls show that Hawai‘i voters want the BAC level to be lowered from .08 to .05. It also tells us that a BAC of .05 saves lives.”
Bagano arranged for a cultural opening pule from Kawaikini Public Charter School student Hi‘ilei Berg, the reigning Miss Hawai‘i Senior Elementary Queen, before presenting numbers on impaired driving.
According to figures obtained from the Kaua‘i Police Department Patrol Services Bureau, Kaua‘i had nine fatalities in 2022, three of them involving impaired driving. In 2021, Kaua‘i had two fatalities, both due to impaired driving.
She added that, on Maui, in 2022, there were 17 deaths. Of those deaths, 75 percent were alcohol-related, and 81 percent were attributed to drugs and alcohol combined.
“It’s not just the numbers from these statistics that alarmed me, but hearing the number of stories from these families who lost their child was a tragedy,”
Bagano said. “One of these deaths is too many deaths on the roadways.”
Bagano added, “One thing I want to make clear is that this is not about moderate drinking, but this is about impairment. We’ve had to fight for so many things — from windshield wipers to seat belts to airbags — that make our roads safer. This bill is the next step to make our roads safer.”
Others taking part in the sign waving included Aaron Hoff of the Keala Foundation, and Kaua‘i County Council Member Felicia Cowden, chair of the council Safety Committee.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
