HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
TRAFFIC SERVICES SECTION
SERGEANT RANDY K. APELE
PHONE: 961-2305
MAY 1, 2001
MEDIA RELEASE
Big Island police have moved to revoke the safety inspection license of both a service station and its vehicle safety inspector for allegedly issuing safety inspection certificates to vehicles that were improperly inspected.
Police also initiated criminal investigations against two motorists whose vehicles received improper safety inspections at the station, located in the Paukaa area of South Hilo.
Sergeant Randy Apele of the Traffic Services Section said police will continue to monitor vehicle safety inspections around the island to ensure the safety of vehicles by reducing the number of improper safety inspections.
Among the items safety inspectors are required to check for are vehicles that are excessively high or low from the ground, vehicles that have improper head- or taillights or vehicles that have excessively loud exhaust systems, Apele said.
Section 286-30 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to make, issue or knowingly use “any imitation or counterfeit of an official certificate of inspection … or who displays or causes or permits to be displayed upon any vehicle any certificate of inspection knowing the same to be issued for another vehicle or issued without an inspection having been made or issued without authority.”
Violators are subject to a maximum fine of $1,000 and 30 days in jail.
In addition, Section 286-22, HRS, authorizes police to require the owner or driver to submit a motor vehicle to a safety inspection or make repairs if the officer has “reasonable cause to believe that a vehicle is unsafe or not equipped as required by law.”
Anyone who operates or parks on a public highway a vehicle without a current official certificate of inspection is subject to a maximum fine of $100.
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