CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL @STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii has recorded 75 traffic-related fatalities, more than a third of which involved pedestrians. A cyclist crossed Keeaumoku Street as a car waits to turn onto South King Street. There are four crosswalks and no left turn signals from South King Street.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL @STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii has recorded 75 traffic-related fatalities, more than a third of which involved pedestrians. A cyclist crossed Keeaumoku Street as a car waits to turn onto South King Street. There are four crosswalks and no left turn signals from South King Street.
The year 2024 has been deadly so far for pedestrians on the streets of Hawaii.
To date, there have been 75 traffic-related fatalities on Hawaii’s roadways, with more than a third (27) involving pedestrians, according to preliminary statistics from the state Department of Transportation.
Last year there were 19 pedestrian fatalities during the same period.
Despite a “Pedestrian Safety Month” campaign in August, which distributed free reflective tape and safety lights to the community, and the state’s continued installation of speed bumps to slow motorists, the number of pedestrians on Hawaii’s roads continued to decline. hit, rise. increase.
Angie Schmitt, an author and transportation expert who spoke about pedestrian safety at the Blaisdell Center on Sept. 25, said it’s a national trend.
Schmitt’s free lecture, “The Pedestrian Safety Crisis in America,” was presented by Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services and Complete Streets, and sponsored by the Ulupono Initiative.
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A recent “Dangerous by Design” report from Smart Growth America ranked Hawaii at No. 13, she noted, for the deadliest states based on pedestrian fatality statistics.
Hawaii recorded an average of 2.41 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people per year between 2018 and 2022.
New Mexico took the top spot, followed by Florida at No. 2 and Louisiana at No. 3.
“Most of the states listed as the most dangerous are sunbelt states,” Schmitt said in an interview. “It seems like you have the same type of streets.”
They share similar characteristics, she said, including multiple lanes on very wide streets without good pedestrian facilities, even if they are close to the beach or in popular tourist areas.
She also noted that a number of pedestrian victims are homeless, a commonality shared with other cities that are also facing a housing affordability crisis.
Of the 27 pedestrian deaths recorded by DOT to date, eight were homeless.
The Dangerous by Design 2024 report states that deaths of people struck and killed while walking on the streets across America have increased by 75% since 2010, with deaths in low-income communities much higher.
America’s roads are primarily designed to move cars quickly “at the expense of everyone’s safety,” the report said, which is tied to the historic increase in pedestrian deaths.
“One of the reasons for that is that vehicles have gotten bigger,” says Schmitt. “We have more people driving SUVs and full-size pickups than people in the past who drove sedans. They are hit by larger vehicles higher up on the bodies, and those accidents are often fatal.”
Hawaii also faces infrastructure challenges, with many roads without sidewalks and not designed for pedestrian safety, said Kathleen Rooney, Ulupono’s director of transportation policy and programs.
“We designed our roads around speed, not stopping,” Rooney said. “If cars have to slow down or we have to redesign them or take lanes, these are things that are intended to slow people down and make it safer to walk or cycle.”
While not everyone is happy about this, she says, speed is a factor in survival and whether a collision occurs at all.
Some ongoing projects are working to make streets safer, she said, but one to two projects a year won’t address the scale of the challenges quickly enough.
Honolulu’s recently released Vision Zero Action Plan notes that nearly one-fifth of fatal and seriously injured pedestrian crashes occur on roads without sidewalks. However, the most common accident scenarios involve pedestrians crossing at a crosswalk while a vehicle continues straight ahead or makes a left turn.
Kupuna aged 65 and over make up 28% of people who die in walking accidents.
After a deadly summer, the number of fatalities now decreased towards the autumn.
In mid-September, an 88-year-old man died from head injuries after being hit by a car while crossing Kaukama Road in Maili.
On September 24, two women walking along the Kamehameha Highway in Pupukea on Oahu’s North Shore were struck by a car driven by a young man that ended up on the unimproved shoulder. One woman, aged 70, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other, aged 68, suffered minor injuries.
The state continues its Walk Wise Hawaii program, with October being National Pedestrian Safety Month.
“The program is not just about pedestrians,” said Lance Rae, spokesperson for Walkwise. “We also talk to motorists: don’t drive too fast. If every driver were not speeding, it would significantly reduce pedestrian fatalities.” – TRAFFIC RELATED DEATHS IN HAWAII January 1 to October 3, 2024 – State: 25 motor vehicle occupants, 27 pedestrians, 19 motorcycle/moped operators, 4 bicyclists (75 total) -Honolulu County: 9 motor vehicle occupants, 12 pedestrians, 11 motorcycle/moped operators , 4 bicyclists (36 total) —Hawaii County: 13 motor vehicle occupants, 7 pedestrians, 3 motorcyclists (23 total) ) — Maui County: 1 motor vehicle occupant, 6 pedestrians, 4 motorcyclists (11 total) — Kauai County: 2 motor vehicle occupants, 2 pedestrians, 1 motorcyclist (5 total)
Source: Hawaii Department of Transportation
