STAND. COM. REP. NO. 443-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2186

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 2186 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PEDESTRIAN SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Clarify driver obligations at crosswalks and establish a clear and enforceable duty to stop and remain stopped for pedestrians;

(2) Strengthen penalties for violations, particularly in school zones;

(3) Create additional criminal penalties when violations cause bodily injury; and

(4) Provide heightened protections for blind and visually impaired pedestrians in order to reduce preventable deaths and serious injuries on Hawaii's roadways.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Department of Health; Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization; Kauaʻi Police Department; Hawaiʻi Bicycling League; PATH – People for Active Transportation Hawaii; National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii; and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of the Public Defender. Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that pedestrians continue to face disproportionate risks on Hawaii's roadways, with a troubling number of fatalities and serious injuries occurring within marked and unmarked crosswalks. Vulnerable roadway users, including children, kupuna, and individuals who are blind or visually impaired, require clearer statutory safeguards and stronger deterrents against dangerous driving behavior. This measure advances the State's commitment to reducing preventable traffic deaths and promoting safer crosswalks for all.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2186, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2186, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

____________________________

DARIUS KILA, Chair