HONOLULU -- Starting on Tuesday motorists can have their driver's license revoked for not stopping for pedestrians in a crosswalk.

The governor has signed into law a bill calling for much stiffer penalties for drivers who neglect to stop for pedestrians.

"Every time I cross the street, if a car is coming at me kind of fast, I kind of get nervous a little bit inside," Kainoa O'Brien said.

O'Brien, 14, knows how scary it is. Three years ago, he was hit in a crosswalk while walking to his elementary school.

Supporters said the new pedestrian law just signed makes it absolutely clear when cars should stop.

"So this car would have to stop because it is on this half of the road. So, you look to the right, I am crossing over this half of the roadway. They have to stop for you," Honolulu Police Department Sgt. Robert Lung said.

Some drivers have been speeding up to get around pedestrians. Now, they must come to a full stop and not move until the pedestrian has passed.

New stiffer penalties include a $150 fine plus court fees for the first offense. For the second offense, the fine doubles to $300 plus three months license revocation.

"It makes me feel a little bit more safer in the street knowing that cars, drivers will worry a little bit more about this law," O'Brien said.

Knowing when to stop is more difficult for drivers on a five-lane one way road.

In the future, pedestrian safety advocates said mid-block crosswalks should be marked with signs and have pedestrian activated lights to make the cars stop.

A law that is considered safer would be for cars in every lane to stop when a pedestrian enters a crosswalk, but highway engineers say that would slow traffic too much.