Oahu is on pace to record more pedestrian fatalities than in any year since 2008.
The Honolulu Police Department reported that 15 of the 39 traffic fatalities so far this year were pedestrians. The city has recorded no more than 20 pedestrian deaths in any year since 2008.
As part of August’s Pedestrian Safety Month, Police Chief Louis Kealoha is expected to unveil today a new community effort to curb pedestrian deaths.
A spokesman for Walk Wise Hawaii, a state Department of Transportation-sponsored program to promote pedestrian safety, said HPD’s statistics mirror a similar trend statewide.
The 21 pedestrian-related fatalities recorded in the state so far this year are more than the 12 recorded at this juncture in 2012, Walk Wise Hawaii coordinator Lance Rae said.
"Reducing the number of pedestrian fatalities is a community issue that will take community involvement," Rae said. "We’re trying to educate both pedestrians and drivers at a grass-roots level."
He said his organization works with all county police departments in holding educational meetings with various community groups.
The Walk Wise educational program appears to be working for seniors, Rae said. Only four of the 21 pedestrian fatals so far in 2013 have been 65 or older, while others have been as young as 16 and 21, he said.
Until five years ago the percentage of traffic fatality victims who were pedestrians annually was typically about 60 percent, he said. In more recent years that percentage has dropped to about 28 percent, he said.
The main pedestrian safety message remains the same for both pedestrians and motorists: Stay attentive, Rae said. Additional suggestions for pedestrians include wearing brightly colored clothing at night and shaking off a false sense of security when walking inside a marked crosswalk, he said.
Maj. Kurt Kendro, head of HPD’s Traffic Division, said that while the number of pedestrian-related fatalities is higher than in recent years, there have been several with unusual circumstances.
For instance, a 33-year-old man died apparently after a vehicle struck him as he lay in the middle of Auhuhu Street in Pearl City during the early hours Wednesday.
A 24-year-old Hawaii-based Marine was struck and killed while attempting to cross Pali Highway near the tunnels at about 10:40 p.m. July 6.
Speed or alcohol was not considered a factor on the part of the drivers, HPD said.
In Oahu’s latest pedestrian death, a man in his 20s died Saturday night after being struck by a tour trolley late Wednesday night at Ala Moana Boulevard and Kamakee Street. Neither speed nor alcohol was believed to be a factor in that case, HPD said.
"Drivers need to anticipate the movement of pedestrians, and pedestrians need to follow the law." Kendro said.
OAHU PEDESTRIAN DEATHS
|
| Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013* |
| Pedestrians killed |
20 |
17 |
16 |
15* |
| Total traffic deaths |
63 |
52 |
57 |
39* |
| *Year-to-date, through July 22 |
| Source: Honolulu Police Department |
|
