STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1473-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 2026

S.D. 2

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 S.B. No. 2026, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require drivers of vehicles approaching stationary motor vehicles stopped in any location on the roadway, shoulder, or roadside to slow down and make a lane change if necessary.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization; Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition; AAA Hawaiʻi; and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that individuals whose vehicles become disabled on the roadway or shoulder are placed in dangerous situations when passing motorists fail to slow down or provide adequate space. While existing law requires drivers to slow down and move over for certain emergency vehicles, similar protections do not consistently extend to ordinary motorists whose vehicles are stopped due to mechanical issues or other emergencies. This measure enhances roadway safety by requiring drivers approaching stationary vehicles displaying hazard lights or other warning signals to reduce speed and, when safe to do so, move over to an adjacent lane to provide greater protection for stranded motorists and other roadside individuals.

Your Committee further finds that the safety of passengers riding in traffic also remains a paramount concern on Hawaii's roadways. Passengers riding in the bed or load-carrying area of pickup trucks are especially vulnerable to serious injury or death, particularly on high-speed roadways or multi-lane highways where traffic volumes and travel speeds increase the severity of collisions. Establishing clear guidelines related to passengers riding in the bed or load-carrying area of pick up trucks will promote safety, while also balancing the transportation needs of certain communities.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying the circumstances when a driver is required to slow down or stop when approaching an emergency or stationary vehicle;

(2) Adding a new part that:

(A) Prohibits the operation of a pickup truck with a passenger seated in the bed or load-carrying area on roadways with posted speed limits of forty-six miles per hour or higher and roadways with three or more lanes traveling in the same direction;

(B) Provides certain exemptions from passenger restrictions; and

(C) Increases the minimum age to ride in the bed or load-carrying area of a pickup truck while in operation from twelve years of age to eighteen years of age;

(3) Inserting a savings clause;

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

(5) 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 S.B. No. 2026, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2026, S.D. 2, 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