STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3062

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2026

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2026, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent 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, AAA Hawaiʻi, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, and one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that traffic fatalities in the State increased over twenty percent between 2024 and 2025, and the City and County of Honolulu saw an increase in fatalities of over sixty percent in the same time period. According to a 2021 report, nationally hundreds of people are killed, thousands are injured, and millions of dollars in medical payments, lost wages, and other damages are accrued annually due to crashes involving stopped or disabled vehicles. In response to this danger, over twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have enacted "slow down, move over" laws requiring drivers approaching any stranded, stationary vehicle to move into an adjacent lane when possible or slow to specified speeds, to lower the risk of fatalities. This measure aligns the State with national traffic safety best practices.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of March 22, 2075, to encourage further discussion.

Your Committee notes that the provision requiring a driver to "come to a complete stop" before making a lane change, as currently drafted, lacks sufficient clarity and may result in unintended safety consequences. Without specifying the circumstances under which a complete stop is required, the language may create confusion for drivers and inconsistent application in enforcement. Additionally, mandating a stop in active traffic, particularly on higher-speed roadways, may increase the risk of secondary collisions. Your Committee therefore believes clarification is warranted to ensure that a complete stop is required only when dictated by traffic conditions and when it can be accomplished safely, thereby advancing the measure's public safety objectives while minimizing unintended hazards. Accordingly, your Committee respectfully requests that subsequent Committees to which this measure is referred consider these issues.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2026, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2026, S.D. 2.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair