Back to Hawaii

HB56 • 2026

RELATING TO INJURIOUS MATERIALS.

RELATING TO INJURIOUS MATERIALS.

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
SOUZA, PERRUSO
Last action
2025-12-08
Official status
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about penalties or enforcement mechanisms.

Rules to Stop Harmful Items on Roads

This bill makes it illegal to put harmful objects like nails, glass, or other dangerous things on roads, lanes, streets, and alleys in Hawaii.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes it against the law for anyone to place harmful items such as nails, screws, bottles, or any object that could damage vehicles or hurt people on highways, lanes, roads, streets, or alleys.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Drivers and pedestrians who could be harmed by dangerous items left on roads.
  • People who intentionally place harmful materials on roads will face legal consequences.

Terms To Know

Injurious Materials
Objects that can cause damage or injury to vehicles, people, or animals on the road.
Highway
A major public road for through traffic.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if someone accidentally drops something harmful and cannot remove it immediately.
  • It is unclear how the law will be enforced or who will monitor compliance with these rules.

Bill History

  1. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  2. 2025-01-21 H

    Referred to TRN, JHA, referral sheet 1

  3. 2025-01-16 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  4. 2025-01-13 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO INJURIOUS MATERIALS.
Traffic Code; Injurious Materials; Roads; Highways; Penalties
Prohibits placing, dropping, or leaving injurious materials on highways, lanes, roads, streets, and alleys.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB56

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

56

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO INJURIOUS MATERIALS
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature recognizes that
certain irresponsible parties have been intentionally leaving nails, screws,
and other items on roads on the island of Oahu, particularly in Kaimuki and
Makakilo.
�
These injurious materials have
caused severe damage to the tires of motor vehicles.
�
The legislature finds it necessary to ensure
the safety of drivers and pedestrians by deterring this behavior.

����
Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to prohibit placing, dropping, or leaving injurious
materials on highways, lanes, roads, streets, and alleys.

����
SECTION
2.
�
Chapter 291C, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part XII to be appropriately
designated and to read as follows:

����
"
�291C-
�
Injurious materials; prohibitions.
�
(a)
�

No person shall intentionally or knowingly place or drop upon any part
of a highway, lane, road, street, or alley any tack, bottle, wire, glass, nail,
screw, or other article that may damage or injure any person, vehicle, or
animal traveling along or upon the highway, lane, road, street, or alley, unless
the person is authorized to do so by an appropriate governmental agency.

����
(b)
�
Any person who drops or permits to be dropped
or thrown upon any highway, lane, road, street, or alley any destructive or
injurious material shall immediately remove the material from the highway,
lane, road, street, or alley.

����
(c)
�
Any person authorized to remove a wrecked or
damaged vehicle from a highway, lane, road, street, or alley shall remove any
glass or other injurious substance dropped upon the highway, lane, road,
street, or alley from the vehicle.

����
(d)
�
No person shall place any obstruction in or
upon a highway, lane, road, street, or alley unless authorized to do so by an
appropriate governmental agency.

����
(e)
�
A person convicted of violating of this
section shall be guilty of a violation; provided that if:

����
(1)
�
The offense was committed within one year
of a prior conviction for a motor vehicle or traffic offense, the person shall
be guilty of a petty misdemeanor, unless paragraph (3) applies;

����
(2)
�
The offense was committed within one year
of two or more prior convictions for motor vehicle or traffic offenses, the
person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, unless paragraph (3) applies; and

����
(3)
�
The person violated subsection (a) and did
so with intent to cause physical harm or damage to any person or vehicle, the
person shall be guilty of a class C felony.
"

����
SECTION
3.
�
This Act does not affect rights and
duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were
begun before its effective date.

����
SECTION
4.
�
New statutory material is
underscored.

����
SECTION 5.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Traffic
Code; Injurious Materials; Roads; Highways; Penalties

Description:

Prohibits
placing, dropping, or leaving injurious materials on highways, lanes, roads,
streets, and alleys.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.