Hawaii speed limits and key traffic laws

By the end of this topic you can

• You can explain Hawaii's basic speed rule and why the posted limit is not always safe.
• You can describe the extra care and penalties in school zones and construction areas.
• You can tell when you must stop for a school bus and when you need not.
• You can list places where passing is not allowed.
• You can respond correctly to a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights.

What you need to know and understand

• Never drive faster than is reasonable and prudent for the conditions, even below the posted limit.
• You must not drive slower than a posted minimum or so slowly that you hold up traffic.
• Going 30 mph or more over the limit, or 80 mph or more anywhere, is excessive speeding, a petty misdemeanor.
• Speeding in a school zone or construction area carries a $250 fine plus surcharges.
• For a school bus stopped with red lights flashing, stop at least 20 feet away in its lane and adjacent lanes, whichever way you are going.
• Racing or speed contests on public roads are illegal.

The basic speed rule and posted limits

Hawaii's basic rule is simple: drive at a speed that is safe for the road, traffic, people walking, weather and light. The posted maximum is the most you may ever drive, not a target. Reduced limits apply near schools and playgrounds when children are present, at school crossing signs, and in residential and business areas. A Reduced Speed Ahead sign warns that a lower limit starts at the next speed limit sign.

What speeding can cost

• Ordinary speeding: a traffic infraction, with an extra surcharge if you are more than 10 mph over.
• School zones and construction areas: a $250 fine plus surcharges.
• Excessive speeding (30 mph or more over, or 80 mph or more): a first offense brings a fine of $500 to $1,000, a 30-day license suspension, a driver retraining course and community service or a short jail term.

School buses and emergency vehicles

When a school bus stops with its red lights flashing, you must stop at least 20 feet from it if you are in its lane or any lane next to it, in either direction. Wait until the bus moves and the lights go off. On a road split by a median or barrier, drivers on the other side need not stop. Fines reach $1,000 on a state highway.

If you hear a siren or see flashing red or blue lights, slow down, pull out of the vehicle's path and stop. When you approach an emergency vehicle stopped with its lights flashing, slow to a safe speed and, if you safely can, change lanes so that one empty lane is left between you and it. Hawaii's law also covers tow trucks, and a 2026 law (Act 95) extended the same slow-down and move-over duty to any vehicle stopped at the side of the road.

Where you must not pass

• On the right shoulder.
• Near the top of a hill or on a curve without 700 to 1,000 feet of clear view.
• Where a solid yellow line is in your lane.
• Within 100 feet of an intersection, railroad crossing, or narrow bridge or tunnel.
• When a school bus has its flashing red lights on.

Common mistakes

• Driving at the posted limit in heavy rain. Slow down and double your following distance.
• Driving past a stopped school bus on a two-lane road because you are going the other way. You must stop.
• Speeding up when another car is passing you. It is unlawful to increase speed while being passed.
• Missing school zone signs. Watch for them near every school and playground.

Test yourself: Hawaii speed limits and key traffic laws

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Driving in Hawaii on an Out-of-State or Foreign License
• Hawaii Driver’s Ed Requirement for Under 18s
• Hawaii Permit Practice Test