(a) A person commits the offense of operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant if the person operates or assumes actual physical control of a vehicle:

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-61 v2

  • Alcohol: means ethanol or any substance containing ethanol. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Alcohol concentration: means either grams of alcohol per one hundred milliliters or cubic centimeters of blood or grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of breath. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Certified substance abuse counselor: means any person certified by the department of health pursuant to section 321-193(10), or any other substance abuse specialist or medical practitioner the director of health may appoint to carry out the functions of a certified substance abuse counselor under this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • county: includes the city and county of Honolulu. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-22
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Director: means the administrative director of the courts or any other person within the judiciary appointed by the director to conduct administrative reviews or hearings or carry out other functions relating to administrative revocation under part III. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Drug: means any controlled substance, as defined and enumerated in schedules I through IV of chapter 329, or its metabolites, or any substance that, when taken into the human body, can impair the ability of a person to operate a vehicle safely. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Highly intoxicated driver: means a person whose measurable amount of alcohol is:

    (1) . See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Ignition interlock device: means a breath alcohol ignition interlock device that is certified pursuant to section 291E-6 and rules adopted thereunder that, when affixed to the ignition system of a motor vehicle, prevents the vehicle from being started without first testing, and thereafter from being operated without periodically retesting, a deep-lung breath sample of the person required to use the device that indicates the person's alcohol concentration is less than . See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Impair: means to weaken, to lessen in power, to diminish, to damage, or to make worse by diminishing in some material respect or otherwise affecting in an injurious manner. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Intoxicant: means alcohol or any drug, as defined in this section. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • License: means any driver's license or any other license or permit to operate a motor vehicle issued under, or granted by, the laws of this State and includes:

    (1) Any learner's permit or instruction permit;
    (2) The privilege of any person to operate a motor vehicle, regardless of whether the person holds a valid license;
    (3) Any nonresident's operating privilege; and
    (4) The eligibility, including future eligibility, of any person to apply for a license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
  • Operate: means to drive or assume actual physical control of a vehicle upon a public way, street, road, or highway or to navigate or otherwise use or assume physical control of a vessel underway on or in the waters of the State. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • State: means : any state or possession of the United States; the District of Columbia; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; the United States Virgin Islands; American Samoa; Guam; any province or territory of the Dominion of Canada; and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, except when the word, in context, clearly refers to the State of Hawaii. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Substance: means any plant, medication, poison, natural or synthetic chemical, or any compound or combination of these, and includes but is not limited to central nervous system depressants, central nervous systems stimulants, hallucinogens, dissociative anesthetics, narcotic analgesics, inhalants, and cannabis. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Substance abuse: means the use or misuse of alcohol, any drug on schedules I through IV of chapter 329, or any substance as defined in this section, to any extent deemed deleterious or detrimental to the user, to others, or to society. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Under the influence: means that a person:

    (1) Is under the influence of alcohol in an amount sufficient to impair the person's normal mental faculties or ability to care for the person and guard against casualty;
    (2) Is under the influence of any drug that impairs the person's ability to operate the vehicle in a careful and prudent manner;
    (3) Has . See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Valid license: means a license that:

    (1) Is issued by an authorized licensing official in any state;
    (2) Authorizes an individual to operate a motor vehicle on public streets, roads, or highways; and
    (3) Has not expired or been revoked, suspended, or canceled. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Vehicle: includes a:

    (1) Motor vehicle;
    (2) Moped; and
    (3) Vessel. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291E-1
  • Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
(1) While under the influence of alcohol in an amount sufficient to impair the person’s normal mental faculties or ability to care for the person and guard against casualty;
(2) While under the influence of any drug that impairs the person’s ability to operate the vehicle in a careful and prudent manner;
(3) With .08 or more grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of breath; or
(4) With .08 or more grams of alcohol per one hundred milliliters or cubic centimeters of blood.
(b) A person committing the offense of operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant shall be sentenced without possibility of probation or suspension of sentence as follows:

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (4), for the first offense, or any offense not preceded within a ten-year period by a conviction for an offense under this section or section 291E-4(a):

(A) A fourteen-hour minimum substance abuse rehabilitation program, including education and counseling, or other comparable programs deemed appropriate by the court;
(B) Revocation of license to operate a vehicle for no less than one year and no more than eighteen months;
(C) Installation during the revocation period of an ignition interlock device on all vehicles operated by the person;
(D) Any one or more of the following:

(i) Seventy-two hours of community service work;
(ii) No less than forty-eight hours and no more than five days of imprisonment; or
(iii) A fine of no less than $250 and no more than $1,000;
(E) A surcharge of $25 to be deposited into the neurotrauma special fund; and
(F) A surcharge, if the court so orders, or up to $25 to be deposited into the trauma system special fund;
(2) For an offense that occurs within ten years of a prior conviction for an offense under this section:

(A) A substance abuse program of at least thirty-six hours, including education and counseling, or other comparable programs deemed appropriate by the court;
(B) Revocation of license to operate a vehicle for no less than two years and no more than three years;
(C) Installation during the revocation period of an ignition interlock device on all vehicles operated by the person;
(D) Either one of the following:

(i) No less than two hundred forty hours of community service work; or
(ii) No less than five days and no more than thirty days of imprisonment, of which at least forty-eight hours shall be served consecutively;
(E) A fine of no less than $1,000 and no more than $3,000, to be deposited into the drug and alcohol toxicology testing laboratory special fund;
(F) A surcharge of $25 to be deposited into the neurotrauma special fund; and
(G) A surcharge of up to $50, if the court so orders, to be deposited into the trauma system special fund;
(3) In addition to a sentence imposed under paragraphs (1) and (2), any person eighteen years of age or older who is convicted under this section and who operated a vehicle with a passenger, in or on the vehicle, who was younger than fifteen years of age, shall be sentenced to an additional mandatory fine of $500 and an additional mandatory term of imprisonment of forty-eight hours; provided that the total term of imprisonment for a person convicted under this paragraph shall not exceed the maximum term of imprisonment provided in paragraph (1) or (2), as applicable. Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), the revocation period for a person sentenced under this paragraph shall be no less than two years;
(4) In addition to a sentence imposed under paragraph (1), for a first offense under this section, or an offense not preceded within a ten-year period by a conviction for an offense, any person who is convicted under this section and was a highly intoxicated driver at the time of the subject incident shall be sentenced to an additional mandatory term of imprisonment for forty-eight consecutive hours and an additional mandatory revocation period of six months; provided that the total term of imprisonment for a person convicted under this paragraph shall not exceed the maximum term of imprisonment provided in paragraph (1). Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the revocation period for a person sentenced under this paragraph shall be no less than eighteen months;
(5) In addition to a sentence under paragraph (2), for an offense that occurs within ten years of a prior conviction for an offense under this section, any person who is convicted under this section and was a highly intoxicated driver at the time of the subject incident shall be sentenced to an additional mandatory term of imprisonment of ten consecutive days and an additional mandatory revocation period of one year; provided that the total term of imprisonment for a person convicted under this paragraph shall not exceed the maximum term of imprisonment provided in paragraph (2), as applicable. Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the revocation period for a person sentenced under this paragraph shall be no less than three years;
(6) A person sentenced pursuant to paragraph (1)(B) may file a motion for early termination of the applicable revocation period if the person:

(A) Was not sentenced to any additional mandatory revocation period pursuant to paragraph (3) or (4);
(B) Actually installed and maintained an ignition interlock device on all vehicles operated by the person for a continuous period of six months, after which the person maintained the ignition interlock device on all vehicles operated by the person for a continuous period of three months without violation;
(C) Includes with the person’s motion for early termination a certified court abstract establishing that the person was not sentenced to any additional mandatory revocation period pursuant to paragraph (3) or (4);
(D) Includes with the person’s motion for early termination a certified statement from the director of transportation establishing that:

(i) The person installed and maintained an ignition interlock device on all vehicles operated by the person for a continuous period of six months; and
(ii) After the six-month period, the person maintained the ignition interlock device on all vehicles operated by the person for a continuous period of three months without violation; and
(E) Has complied with all other sentencing requirements.

Nothing in this paragraph shall require a court to grant early termination of the revocation period if the court finds that continued use of the ignition interlock device will further the person’s rehabilitation or compliance with this section;

(7) If the person demonstrates to the court that the person:

(A) Does not own or have the use of a vehicle in which the person can install an ignition interlock device during the revocation period; or
(B) Is otherwise unable to drive during the revocation period,

the person shall be prohibited from driving during the period of applicable revocation provided in paragraphs (1) to (5); provided that the person shall be sentenced to the maximum license revocation period, the court shall not issue an ignition interlock permit pursuant to subsection (i), and the person shall be subject to the penalties provided by section 291E-62 if the person drives during the applicable revocation period; and

(8) For purposes of this subsection, “violation” means:

(A) Providing a sample of .04 or more grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of breath when starting the vehicle, unless a subsequent test performed within ten minutes registers a breath alcohol concentration lower than .02 and the digital image confirmed the same person provided both samples;
(B) Providing a sample of .04 or more grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of breath on a rolling retest, unless a subsequent test performed within ten minutes registers a breath alcohol concentration lower than .02 and the digital image confirms the same person provided both samples;
(C) Failing to provide a rolling retest, unless an acceptable test is performed within ten minutes;
(D) Violating section 291E-66; or
(E) Failing to provide a clear photo of the person when the person blows into the ignition interlock device.
(c) Except as provided in sections 286-118.5 and 291E-61.6, the court shall not issue an ignition interlock permit to:

(1) A defendant whose license is expired, suspended, or revoked as a result of action other than the instant offense;
(2) A defendant who does not hold a valid license at the time of the instant offense;
(3) A defendant who holds either a category 4 license under section 286-102(b) or a commercial driver’s license under section 286-239(a), unless the ignition interlock permit is restricted to a category 1, 2, or 3 license under section 286-102(b); or
(4) A defendant who holds a license that is a learner’s permit or instruction permit.
(d) Except as provided in subsection (c), the court may issue a separate permit authorizing a defendant to operate a vehicle owned by the defendant’s employer during the period of revocation without installation of an ignition interlock device if the defendant is gainfully employed in a position that requires driving and the defendant will be discharged if prohibited from driving a vehicle not equipped with an ignition interlock device.
(e) A request made pursuant to subsection (d) shall be accompanied by:

(1) A sworn statement from the defendant containing facts establishing that the defendant currently is employed in a position that requires driving and that the defendant will be discharged if prohibited from driving a vehicle not equipped with an ignition interlock device; and
(2) A sworn statement from the defendant’s employer establishing that the employer will, in fact, discharge the defendant if the defendant cannot drive a vehicle that is not equipped with an ignition interlock device and identifying the specific vehicle the defendant will drive for purposes of employment and the hours of the day, not to exceed twelve hours per day, or the period of the specified assigned hours of work, the defendant will drive the vehicle for purposes of employment.
(f) A permit issued pursuant to subsection (d) shall include restrictions allowing the defendant to drive:

(1) Only during specified hours of employment, not to exceed twelve hours per day, or the period of the specified assigned hours of work, and only for activities solely within the scope of the employment;
(2) Only the vehicle specified; and
(3) Only if the permit is kept in the defendant’s possession while operating the employer’s vehicle.
(g) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, any:

(1) Conviction under this section, section 291E-4(a), or section 291E-61.5;
(2) Conviction in any other state or federal jurisdiction for an offense that is comparable to operating or being in physical control of a vehicle while having either an unlawful alcohol concentration or an unlawful drug content in the blood or urine or while under the influence of an intoxicant or habitually operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant; or
(3) Adjudication of a minor for a law violation that, if committed by an adult, would constitute a violation of this section or an offense under section 291E-4(a), or section 291E-61.5, shall be considered a prior conviction for the purposes of imposing sentence under this section. Any judgment on a verdict or a finding of guilty, a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or an adjudication, in the case of a minor, that at the time of the offense has not been expunged by pardon, reversed, or set aside shall be deemed a prior conviction under this section.
(h) Whenever a court sentences a person pursuant to subsection (b), it also shall require that the offender be referred to the driver’s education program for an assessment, by a certified substance abuse counselor deemed appropriate by the court, of the offender’s substance abuse or dependence and the need for appropriate treatment. The counselor shall submit a report with recommendations to the court. The court shall require the offender to obtain appropriate treatment if the counselor’s assessment establishes the offender’s substance abuse or dependence. All costs for assessment and treatment shall be borne by the offender.
(i) Upon proof that the defendant has:

(1) Installed an ignition interlock device in any vehicle the defendant operates pursuant to subsection (b); and
(2) Obtained motor vehicle insurance or self-insurance that complies with the requirements under either § 431:10C-104 or section 431:10C-105,

the court shall issue an ignition interlock permit that will allow the defendant to drive a vehicle equipped with an ignition interlock device during the revocation period.

(j) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, whenever a court revokes a person’s driver’s license pursuant to this section, the examiner of drivers shall not grant to the person a new driver’s license until the expiration of the period of revocation determined by the court. After the period of revocation is completed, the person may apply for and the examiner of drivers may grant to the person a new driver’s license.
(k) Any person sentenced under this section may be ordered to reimburse the county for the cost of any blood or urine tests conducted pursuant to § 291E-11. The court shall order the person to make restitution in a lump sum, or in a series of prorated installments, to the police department or other agency incurring the expense of the blood or urine test. Except as provided in § 291E-5, installation and maintenance of the ignition interlock device required by subsection (b) shall be at the defendant’s own expense.
(l) As used in this section, the term “examiner of drivers” has the same meaning as provided in § 286-2.

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