State v. Ribbel

Opinion of the Court by

WATANABE, J.

This appeal stems from a seat belt enforcement campaign conducted by the Maui Police Department (MPD) on November 18, 2003 that resulted in Defendant-Appellant Denise Ribbel (Ribbel) being cited for operating a motor vehicle on a public highway without a seat belt, in violation of Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) § 291-11.6 (Supp.2005) (the seat belt statute). It was undisputed at trial that when Ribbel was cited, she was wearing the lap portion of the seat belt. She was also wearing the shoulder harness portion of the seat belt, although it was tucked under…