Texting and Mai Tais

Setting foot on our beautiful island of Oahu for the first time whether you’re coming here for a long awaited vacation or moving to Hawaii for work, the first thing to be aware of is Honolulu’s fines for cell phone use.  Before you start driving to the North Shore, unpack your phone holder for your car.  Fines can be stiff at $250-$300 depending if you’re in a restricted area like a school or construction zone.  Basically, your engine cannot be running and your car must be parked but not in the way of traffic which means you can’t hold your phone while you’re idling at a light or stop sign.  Just holding your phone can warrant a ticket.  Nowadays, cell phone holders are as cheap as $6.99 on Amazon so it wouldn’t hurt to order one before you leave for Hawaii.  At that price, if you forget it in the rental car you won’t kick yourself when you get home. 

Most of you are not surprised about fines for using your phone while driving but this one you might be as Honolulu is the first major city in the United States to pass a law against pedestrians viewing a mobile device while crossing the street.  You can talk on your phone while crossing the street but your eyes need to be mobile and not glued to your device, no texting. The fines start at $15-35 and go up for repeat offenders and I’m pretty sure you’d rather spend that sipping on a Mai Tai at Waikiki Beach.

Just a head’s up, walking and texting may not be illegal on the outer islands…