§291E-3  Evidence of intoxication.  (a)  In any criminal prosecution for a violation of section 291E-61 or 291E-61.5 or in any proceeding under part III:

     (1)  .08 or more grams of alcohol per one hundred milliliters or cubic centimeters of the person's blood;

     (2)  .08 or more grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of the person's breath; or

     (3)  The presence of one or more drugs in an amount sufficient to impair the person's ability to operate a vehicle in a careful and prudent manner,

within three hours after the time of the alleged violation as shown by chemical analysis or other approved analytical techniques of the person's blood, breath, or urine shall be competent evidence that the person was under the influence of an intoxicant at the time of the alleged violation.

     (b)  In any criminal prosecution for a violation of section 291E-61 or 291E-61.5, the amount of alcohol found in the defendant's blood or breath within three hours after the time of the alleged violation as shown by chemical analysis or other approved analytical techniques of the defendant's blood or breath shall be competent evidence concerning whether the defendant was under the influence of an intoxicant at the time of the alleged violation and shall give rise to the following presumptions:

     (1)  If there were .05 or less grams of alcohol per one hundred milliliters or cubic centimeters of defendant's blood or .05 or less grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of defendant's breath, it shall be presumed that the defendant was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the alleged violation; and

     (2)  If there were in excess of .05 grams of alcohol per one hundred milliliters or cubic centimeters of defendant's blood or .05 grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of defendant's breath, but less than .08 grams of alcohol per one hundred milliliters or cubic centimeters of defendant's blood or .08 grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of defendant's breath, that fact may be considered with other competent evidence in determining whether the defendant was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the alleged violation, but shall not of itself give rise to any presumption.

     (c)  In any criminal prosecution for a violation of section 291E-61 or in any proceeding under part III:

     (1)  .15 or more grams of alcohol per one hundred milliliters or cubic centimeters of the person's blood; or

     (2)  .15 or more grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of the person's breath,

within three hours after the time of the alleged violation as shown by chemical analysis or other approved analytical techniques of the person's blood or breath shall be competent evidence that the person was a highly intoxicated driver at the time of the alleged violation.

     (d)  Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting the introduction, in any criminal proceeding for a violation under section 291E-61 or 291E-61.5 or in any proceeding under part III, of relevant evidence of a person's alcohol concentration or drug content obtained more than three hours after an alleged violation; provided that the evidence is offered in compliance with the Hawaii rules of evidence. [L 2000, c 189, pt of §23; am L 2004, c 90, §3; am L 2007, c 198, §2; am L 2010, c 166, §6; am L 2021, c 216, §2]

Case Notes

  Where a plain reading of this section indicates that the phrase "any proceeding under part III" refers to administrative license revocations, trial court erred in upholding hearing officer's ruling that subsection (c) applies only to criminal prosecutions and has no application to administrative driver's license revocation office cases.  109 H. 220, 124 P.3d 965 (2005).