From the Hawaii Reporter:

“There are grave health consequences to a leaving a child in a car unattended for a long period of time” said Representative Lynn Finnegan. “A 2003 CDC study found that during July 2000 to June 2001 an estimated 9,160 non-fatal injuries and 78 fatal injuries occurred in children 14 and younger as a result of being left unattended in or around motor vehicles not in traffic. At least other twelve states have found this problem serious enough to adopt similar language and it is time that Hawaii joins them. I thank Governor Lingle for signing this important bill.” Today the governor will sign Senate Bill 2245, an important bill for the safety of our children. The bill will make it violation of the statewide traffic to leave a child under the age of unattended in a motor vehicle for 5 minutes or longer. The legislation will additionally insure the safety of children by requiring the driver’s exam to specifically test the applicant’s knowledge of the traffic code regarding leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle.

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