GOVERNOR LINGLE RENEWS CALL FOR STRICTER PENALTIES FOR CROSSWALK VIOLATIONS TO PROTECT PEDESTRIANS

January 16 - At an event to promote pedestrian safety, Governor Lingle announced that her Administration will re-introduce legislation to increase penalties for motorists who violate Hawai`i's crosswalk law.  The Lingle-Aiona Administration will again propose tougher measures that would place traffic violators in jail, revoke their driving privileges and increase fines for failing to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.  The Governor's announcement follows four fatal pedestrian accidents, three of which involved senior citizens crossing the street, since the start of the year. "Less than three weeks into the new year, our community is mourning the loss of three kupuna who were simply trying to cross the street," said Governor Lingle.  "These accidents, along with many other pedestrian fatalities that have plagued our state for the past several years, could have been prevented if drivers yielded the right-of-way to pedestrians."