Question: I seem to recall that a while ago you could renew your state ID by mail if you were over a certain age. Can you still still do that? I wasn’t old enough before, so I didn’t pay enough attention.
Answer: Yes, but only if you are 80 or older, are a U.S. citizen or have permanent residency status, and have previously submitted in person documents required to obtain a REAL ID-compliant Hawaii ID, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services.
Here’s the process for those eligible:
Send a letter requesting to renew your state identification card. Include the following in the letter:
>> Name as it appears on the ID
>> Mailing address
>> Social Security number (last four digits) or state ID number
>> Date of birth
>> Email address
>> Signature, which will be compared with your signature on file
Sign and date the letter and submit it by mail, email or fax:
>> Mail: Driver’s License Section, P.O. Box 30340, Honolulu, HI 96820-0340
>> Email: dl@honolulu.gov
>> Fax: 808-768-9096
Q: Regarding the red-light cameras, what would constitute a traffic ticket when a person is running a red light? I understand the obvious when the light is red and the car has not entered the intersection, but what about when the car is not through the intersection? Would the car’s registered owner get a ticket if any part of the car did not clear the intersection when the light is red? Previous driving instruction taught me that a car is in violation if any part of the car is still in the intersection when the light is red. The public needs this to be clarified.
A: Per Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-32, the offense occurs when a vehicle enters the intersection on a red light. A vehicle entering the intersection on a yellow light would not be cited by a red-light safety camera, confirmed Shelly Kunishige, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.
Perhaps you misunderstood your driving instructor, or he or she misunderstood the law. For vehicular traffic (not pedestrian traffic), the law says that a steady yellow light warns that the traffic signal is about to turn red, at which point the vehicle must stop. After stopping, the vehicle cannot proceed straight through the intersection on the red light, but may turn right unless a sign prohibits it.
The same law would apply whether a driver was cited in person by a police officer who witnessed the vehicle running the red light or whether the vehicle’s registered owner received a ticket in the mail after being flagged for citation by a red-light camera system.
Red-light cameras have been authorized in Hawaii but are not yet operational. Traffic studies are underway at potential Oahu intersections.
Q: I never got an email saying how to save my Hawaii SMART Health Card.
A: You can read the instructions at hawaiicovid19.com/smart-health-card. You have a few days left before the Safe Travels system expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
Auwe
Auwe to rude adults (mother and father?) who set a horrible example for children in their car by flipping off a police officer waiting in a school zone to slow down traffic. The officer didn’t see them, but I did and I was disgusted. Slow down for the keiki! — A reader
Mahalo
I’d like to send a big mahalo to the couple who witnessed and saved me from my fall on Judd Street near Oahu Cemetery earlier this month. The woman provided me tissues to put pressure on my cuts, while the man called the ambulance for help. During the wait the couple stayed and supported me until the ambulance came. As a kupuna, I don’t know what would have happened if this nice couple had not stopped and assisted me. I’m now recovering, but unfortunately, at the time of the incident, I wasn’t able to get their names and contact information. I hope that one day I’ll get to thank my saviors in person. — A.N.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
