HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0247.004 2018-2020 C 0 U T Y C L 1- K CVM, 247
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From: Jessica Andrews <jess.magnolia(a� mail.conn>
Date: June 18, 2019 at 10:57:22 AM HST 1019 JUN 18 AM 11: 32
To: sue.leeloyc�hawaiicounty.gov
Subject: Testimony in support of Bill 64 - illegal window tinting
Aloha Council Member Lee Loy,
I want to thank you for sponsoring the County Council bill addressing illegal window tinting. As
a Hilo resident, I appreciate your passion on this issue and support you wholeheartedly. My
husband and I live in the Ainako neighborhood of Hilo and we regularly walk and bike with our
two daughters.
I feel strongly that public safety should be the highest priority for County Council's review of
this bill. We rely on our representatives to pass legislation that prioritizes the safety of drivers,
pedestrians and bicyclists, in addition to the safety of our police officers. While I recognize the
inconvenience of getting one's car towed, it pales in comparison to the danger posed by vehicles
that flagrantly violate window tinting laws meant to ensure public safety.
Please don't defer to those who want to undermine public safety with the insulting straw man
argument that the bill gives too much leeway to the judgement of police officers. This bill is
meant to empower the public and take back the safety of our streets. I trust that our police
officers are well trained to make responsible judgement calls in any number of situations.
I urge the County Council to pass the bill addressing illegal window tinting for the following
reasons:
-Illegal car tinting is a dangerous hazard to other drivers on the road. While driving in IIilo over
the past several years, I see numerous cars, on a daily basis, with front windshields and front side
windows that are so dark that I cannot mance out any shapes or see any movements. If I cannot
see the driver in another car, I can't see gestures at stop signs or lights. It is important to be able
to see who is driving and what they are doing, in order to drive safely and defensively. p
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- Tinting is also a severe hazard to pedestrians and bicyclists. Anyone who has ever used a
crosswalk knows the importance of malting eye contact with drivers who are malting a right hand
or left hand turn across the crosswalk. I have nearly been run over by cars while wanting in a
crosswalk, and if I am not able to make eye contact with a driver, I tarot be sure that they see
me walking.
-From the perspective of law enforcement, illegally tinted windows present an undeniable risk.
Police officers need to be able to see the driver during traffic stops in order to assess the
situation. Dark windows obscure the ability to see whether the driver is armed or whether they
are hiding something. How is a police officer able to do their job if they can't even see the driver
behind darkly tinted windows? The reality is that many drivers are talking or texting on cell
phones while driving. This is an undeniable, urgent public safety hazard. But if the police cannot
even see into a car, there is no way to catch an offender.
Comm. No 241'
Ref. To: MOON
.
Ref. Date JUN 182019
I appreciate your diligent attention to this bill and welcome the County Council passing it on the
next reading.
Mahalo,
Jessica Andrews
Ililo, Hawaii