April 12—Question: A friend of mine was recently stopped for a speeding ticket. When asked for proof of insurance by HPD, they present an electronic card on their phone. However, the officer said it was not a valid form of insurance. Was there a law passed by the legislature allowing the use of electronic insurance cards?
Q: A friend of mine was recently stopped for a speeding ticket. When asked for proof of insurance by HPD, they present an electronic card on their phone. However, the officer said it was not a valid form of insurance. Was there a law passed by the legislature allowing the use of electronic insurance cards?
Answer: Yes, it came into effect in 2016. House Bill 1705 was approved by the state legislature and signed into law by then-Gov. David Ige, as Act 82, allows electronic insurance cards to be used as proof of insurance for motor vehicles, motorcycles and motor scooters, including traffic stops. Paper insurance cards are also accepted as usual.
State law states that “electronic proof of insurance cards may be accessed directly through the licensed insurer’s website, application or database.” The card displayed on a mobile electronic device must include the vehicle name, make, year and factory or serial number; Insurance policy number; name of insured and insurer; and effective dates of coverage, including expiration dates.
Q: We received free credit reports during the pandemic. When does that end? We have jobs again after a long layoff but want to keep track of our credit report because we found mistakes on it when we checked in 2022.
Answer: “Three national credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – have extended, until December 31, 2023, a program that allows you to check your credit report for free at each agency once a week,” according to the Federal Trade Commission, a US government agency.
Go to AnnualCreditReport. com to request free copies. “Other sites may charge you or be fraudulent sites set up to steal your personal information,” the FTC says.
Federal law entitles everyone to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three agencies. However, in 2020, at the start of the pandemic, the three agencies said they would temporarily make the reports available for free every week, encouraging people to manage their finances in uncertain times. The weekly offer was later extended and will now run until the end of this year.
On a related note, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion announced Tuesday that “medical collection loans with initial report balances less than $500 have been removed from US consumer credit reports.” With this change, about 70% of the total medical collection debt trade lines now reported to credit reporting agencies nationwide “have been removed from consumer credit files,” they said. Unpaid medical collection debt is large enough to be reported on a person’s credit report after a year.
The three companies previously announced that as of July 1, 2022, medical collection loans that have been paid off will no longer be included on a person’s credit report.
Aww I’m tired of seeing drivers cross the hard line on Lunalilo Street. These are the drivers who come up Picoie Street, move into the far left lane, and cross the hard line of the right lane to get into the freeway lane. It’s bad enough to see drivers in the far right lane on Lunalilo Street crowding out drivers in the right lane and onto the freeway lane. Drivers getting into the right lane onto Pikoi Street near King Street are to be commended for being patient!—Linda Mahalo Many thanks to the unknown motorist who responded to my beeping horn when I was lost in Waipahu without my cellphone. I was stuck in the middle lane with no way to pull straight onto the wrong freeway. He had his window down, when I honked and shouted directions out the window to me. Much appreciated! I made it home safely.—LOST RESIDENTS—– Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; Call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine @staradvertiser.com.——