It has been a deadly week for Hawaii’s roadways.
Within the span of just 48 hours, the state has logged at least five fatalities and several critical injuries resulting from several multivehicle collisions.
On Thursday afternoon an 81-year-old woman and her 85-year-old passenger died following a four-vehicle collision on the H-1 freeway near the Kaonohi Street overpass. They were rear-ended, then spun out and struck by another car, resulting in fatal injuries.
The couple were traffic-related fatality Nos. 29 and 30 for Oahu this year. There were 26 on the island at the same time in 2022.
Earlier that day, another collision involving three cars and a flat tire on the H-1 near Makiki sent six to the hospital, including two passengers in their 80s who were in critical condition.
Despite the recent spate of collisions, Maj. Stason Tanaka, HPD’s traffic division commander, said it is difficult to conclude there is a rise in driver aggression or speeding lately.
“We just had a very unfortunate day yesterday where we had two multiple vehicle collisions that resulted in deaths,” he said.
Over the year, the average number of traffic-related fatalities on Oahu generally ranges between 55 and 60, he said.
So far this year, HPD has issued 13,869 speeding tickets and roughly 2,300 tickets for excessive speeding, 300 for reckless speeding and 200 for racing.
Police said neither of Thursday’s H-1 collisions involved speeding, alcohol or drugs as factors, but both are still under investigation.
However, the majority of traffic-related fatalities so far this year involved either speeding — which Tanaka said is definitely the case with motorcyclists — while others are due to either alcohol or drug impairment.
On Friday he urged motorists to observe speed limits, particularly with students returning to school in upcoming weeks, and not to get behind the wheel impaired.
“Just drive with aloha,” he said. “I mean, we share the road with our friends, our family and co-workers, so a decision that you make when you drive — these are all things that affect others on the road.”
HPD officers enforce speed and driving under the influence year-round, he said.
On Wednesday a fiery, head-on collision on Honoapiilani Highway in Lahaina, Maui, resulted in three fatalities.
Speed is believed to have played a role in that early-morning crash, in which the young driver of a gold 2007 Ford Escape crossed the centerline and collided with a gray 2016 Kia Soul heading in the other direction.
All three involved in the collision died at the scene.
Two people in the Kia Soul were identified as driver Lui Williams and his wife, Lena Williams, ages 81 and 75, respectively, of Lahaina.
Maui police Friday identified the third fatality, the driver of the Ford Escape, as Giovanni Suarez, 22, of Kihei.
That same day, a bicyclist was fatally struck by a 70-year-old driving a car in Waimanalo while attempting to cross the road. The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s office has identified him as Anthony Akau, 58, of Waimanalo. He was Oahu’s 28th traffic fatality of the year.
Within the past week there have also been other major collisions on Oahu, including a head- on crash near Kahana Bay on Wednesday night.
Paramedics treated and transported six patients, ages 18 to 56, in stable to serious condition to emergency rooms.
Residents of Diamond Head Road, meanwhile, are calling for the city to install traffic devices to slow down drivers after college-age kids smashed an SUV into a utility pole at 12:55 a.m. Sunday.
There were, fortunately, no critical injuries among the five young adults in the car. But speed was definitely a factor, according to residents, who captured the crash on security footage.
The recent road fatalities occurred, ironically, in the wake of Hawaii’s “Speeding Catches Up With You” campaign in July to reduce speeding and risky driving behaviors.
Speeding is a problem in Hawaii, according to the state, which found in a survey that the majority of isle drivers admit to regularly driving five to 10 miles an hour over the speed limit.
Hawaii was experiencing a stretch of 38 days with zero traffic-related fatalities from June 18 to July 26, according to DOT Director Ed Sniffen, including Fourth of July weekend.
“It was an unprecedented streak of highway safety for Hawaii,” he said in a statement. “We ask that we all join in to make the streak of zeroes the rule rather than the exception, so no one needs to experience senseless loss.”
DOT has recorded, from Jan. 1 to Wednesday, 51 traffic-related fatalities, compared with 72 during the same time period in 2022, mostly involving motor vehicle occupants.
For Oahu the numbers are trending higher than in 2022, with about double the number of motorcycle- and moped-related fatalities.
The recent traffic fatalities are concerning, said Craig Gima, spokesperson at AARP Hawaii, which supports the “Vision Zero” goal of no fatalities on safer streets.
“Older drivers are generally safer drivers than younger drivers,” he said. “Older drivers generally drive slower, have experience, and many of them are trying to be considerate. Older people, if they’re injured in a crash, are more likely to be more seriously injured or to die.”
Tanaka said August is Pedestrian Safety Month.
Motorists should watch out for increased pedestrian traffic when schools are back in session, particularly in school zones, he said. Pedestrians should also look both ways before crossing, obey traffic signals at crosswalks and never assume the driver sees them.
Tanaka said other factors in crashes include distracted driving, particularly with cellphone use, and following a car too closely.
“People tend to forget the roadway is shared,” he said. “It’s not just you, so the mistakes that you make or decisions you choose, depending on what happens, affects other people on the roadway.”
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Citations
Speeding and speeding-related tickets issued on Oahu:
2023 (year to date)
>> Speeding: 13,869
>> Excessive speeding: 2,317
>> Reckless speeding: 311
>> Racing: 222
2022
>> Speeding: 34,157
>> Excessive speeding: 4,746
>> Reckless speeding: 783
>> Racing: 452
Source: Honolulu Police Department
