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Demapan wants car rentals to resolve citations
Car rental companies on Saipan would soon be forced to settle traffic citations incurred by their clients, mostly tourists, if ever House Bill 20-41 becomes law.
Rep. Angel A. Demapan (R-Saipan) introduced HB 20-41 to establish requirements for vehicle rental businesses.
The public has been complaining about alleged problems encountered with some tourists. Many complain that tourists do not follow traffic rules and regulations while driving rental cars on Saipan’s roads.
Department of Public Safety officers often give tourists who violate traffic rules citations, but most of these are not resolved and fines are not paid, as they would only leave the CNMI after spending their vacation here.
There are some incidents when tourists on rental cars would allegedly make a full stop in the middle of the road, drive below the speed limit, make abrupt turns, not use their turn signals while making turns, and not obey traffic lights.
Demapan said the Legislature believes in the importance of supporting the tourism industry but visitors must also be mindful in assuring public safety, especially on the road.
“The Legislature finds that when the actions of individuals who fail to comply with traffic rules continue to increase, further jeopardizing the safety of the community, amendments to the law must be adjusted to augment such safety within the Commonwealth,” he said.
Demapan said the intent of HB 20-41 is to make sure all motorists would strictly follow traffic rules and regulations for everyone’s safety.
“This legislation will force vehicle owners to be mindful that they will also be held accountable if their vehicle is involved in unresolved traffic citations,” Demapan said.
HB 20-41 wants motor vehicle rental business owners not to rent or lease its motor vehicle to any person without a valid driver’s license issued from their country of origin.
Rental car customers, meanwhile, must have in their possession an English translation of the rented vehicle agreement with a valid picture driver’s license.
Demapan also wants the Bureau of Motor Vehicles not to renew the registration of cars or motor vehicles involved in traffic citations unless all infractions and fines have been paid or settled.
