A Fix For Road Rage?
The Honolulu City Council, worried about increases in vehicular-related violence, has a proposal.
A resolution scheduled for a final vote tomorrow before city officials aims to urge the Hawaii Legislature to do something to “cage the rage.”
Road rage, that is.
Honolulu City Council member Joey Manahan is author , which documents recent events like the stabbing of two men multiple times on the H-1 Freeway near the Kunia exit in August, and the 2015 road rage incident involving a woman who threatened an off-duty police officer with a knife.
The resolution also cites statistics on Honolulu road congestion, long commutes and online posts ranking聽the city聽high for聽#roadrage.
The “reso” is聽non-binding, but if passed this one聽will be delivered to state lawmakers.聽The goal is to聽have the聽Legislature聽amend existing law to聽prohibit certain behaviors incited by or likely to incite road聽rage.
Examples of such behaviors:
- sudden braking to discourage following too closely
- forcing or attempting to force another vehicle off the聽street or highway
- brandishing a weapon or object capable of inflicting聽serious bodily injury or death
- using offensive or threatening gestures
- shouting obscenities or threats
- repeatedly sounding the vehicle鈥檚 horn or flashing the聽headlights (except to warn of a hazard)
Manahan acknowledges that there are enforcement challenges and First Amendment concerns.聽But his main goal is to target repeat offenders.
“I want the Legislature to see if there is聽a way to look at people who do聽things habitually to prevent them,” he said, adding聽that one well-publicized rage incident happened in his Kalihi-area district.
