The year 2024 was a deadly one on Hawaii roads, with a grim tally of more than 100 traffic-related fatalities, a jump of about 10% from the previous year.
The state Department of Transportation as of Tuesday counted 102 traffic fatalities, including a bicyclist struck by the driver of a Volkswagen sedan Monday night on Kahakai Boulevard in Pahoa.
Hawaii County police arrested the driver on suspicion of driving under the influence and said the victim, estimated to be in his 50s, was rushed to Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The incident pushed the preliminary count in 2024 to 102 fatalities, surpassing the 93 counted during the same time in 2023.
Already, the state has marked its first few fatalities of 2025, after a 52-year-old man was struck by an alleged drunken driver two minutes into the new year in South Kona.
Police say the victim was setting up fireworks in the roadway when he was fatally struck.
A second fatality for Hawaii County followed the same day. Police said Ray Donnell Worrells, 74, of Waikoloa, died from injuries the morning after a solo crash into a rock wall just after 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Then on Friday a 21-year-old woman who was a passenger on a motorcycle died after a collision with an SUV on Kamehameha Highway in Kaaawa, marking the state’s third traffic fatality of the new year.
DOT noted that 24 of the 2024 fatalities listed speeding as the primary contributing factor; 11 cited suspected impairment and additional reckless behaviors. Other factors included losing control of a vehicle, failure to yield to traffic signals, people lying in the road, and unexpected pedestrian crossings.
“Safety is not only about you as an individual driver, rider, or pedestrian,” said DOT Director Ed Sniffen in a news release. “It is about making choices that could impact your life or the life of someone sharing the same road as you. We should all strive for a common goal of eliminating fatal crashes on our roads.”
Sniffen said the department will continue to implement measures such as speed humps, expand its red-light safety camera program and start using automated speed enforcement cameras.
In an annual behavioral survey in 2024, DOT found over half of Hawaii residents admitted to bad behavior, such exceeding the speed limit as well as using mobile devices while driving, at least once in the past six months. Others admitted to driving under the influence.
Hawaii island, in particular, experienced a significant increase in traffic fatalities: 29 in 2024, compared with 15 in 2023.
Police said based on a review, up to the end of December, there were approximately 960 major crashes, a 16% bump up from about 830 during the same time in 2023.
Hawaii island police made more than 940 DUI arrests, with more than 340 in the Kona district, and urged drivers to drive sober over the New Year’s holiday.
“Drug impairment remains a serious issue on Hawaii Island roads, with drugs contributing to 54% of traffic fatalities over the last four years,” said police in a news release. “Between 2021 and 2024, 56 out of 104 traffic deaths showed that drug impairment was a primary factor in the crash.”
Many studies show that cannabis impairs reaction times, police said, along with cognitive abilities, making it harder to stay in a lane. Additionally, prescription and over-the-counter medications can also impair driving ability.
It was also a particularly deadly year for pedestrians, with a 60% increase in fatalities involving people who were on foot — 37 in 2024, compared with 23 in 2023. Approximately a third of them, 12, were homeless, according to DOT.
In addition to the “100 deadliest days of summer,” the holiday season has also proved deadly for pedestrians.
Honolulu police announced Christmas Eve that an 81-year-old man died a few days after being struck by a vehicle as he was crossing Rycroft Street in a crosswalk in the Keeaumoku area.
A few days before Christmas, a 31-year-old woman died after walking through traffic lanes of the H-1 freeway in Waipahu, according to police.
She was struck by a vehicle as she crossed those lanes, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A detailed analysis by the Oahu Vision Zero Action Plan found nearly one-fifth of fatal or serious-injury pedestrian crashes occur on roads without sidewalks or other pedestrian facilities.
But 44% of crashes resulting in a fatality or serious injury actually occurred when the pedestrian was crossing in a crosswalk. The most common scenario, according to Vision Zero, is a crash that occurs while a driver is proceeding straight ahead or making a left turn into a crosswalk.
Speed was a contributing factor in 32% of fatal and 17% of serious pedestrian injury crashes.
The state DOT, meanwhile, remains committed to the installation of raised crosswalks and speed tables across Hawaii as a way to slow down drivers.
DOT installed two speed tables Tuesday near King Kekaulike High School in Pukalani, Maui, in response to community concerns about speeding in the area.
Since the 2019 installation of the state’s first raised crosswalk on Kalihi Street, Sniffen said, the department has implemented 258 such crosswalks and speed humps across Hawaii as a physical reminder for drivers to reduce their speed entering residential and school areas.
This exceeded the state’s goal of 40 for the year, according to Sniffen.
“In 2025, our goal will again be 40 speed humps/raised crosswalks statewide,” said Sniffen in an email. “We currently have 18 that have been designed or are in the design process.”
DOT says a study on Oahu has shown these installation have led to a 59% decrease in drivers exceeding the speed limit, a 71% drop in pedestrian-involved crashes and a 92% reduction in fatalities.
“Given the substantial safety benefits demonstrated by these installations, HDOT will continue implementing speed humps and raised crosswalks as part of our commitment to create safer roads for all users,” said Sniffen in a statement.
The speed humps have been welcomed and requested by some residents but are vehemently opposed by others.
A Kailua resident has filed suit against the state to remove a speed hump from Kailua Road, alleging that vibrations from large vehicles speeding over it have caused damage to his home.
More speed humps and raised crosswalks, however, are planned on Iroquois Road in Ewa Beach, on Kamehameha Highway fronting Swanzy Beach Park in Kaaawa and on King Street in front of Iolani Palace, according to DOT’s safety map.
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Traffic-related deaths in Hawaii
Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2024
>> State: 31 motor vehicle occupants, 37 pedestrians, 26 motorcycle/moped operators, 6 bicyclists, 2 ATV operators (102 total)
>> Honolulu County: 11 motor vehicle occupants, 19 pedestrians, 17 motorcycle/moped operators, 4 bicyclists (51 total)*
>> Hawaii County: 16 motor vehicle occupants, 7 pedestrians, 4 motorcyclists, 1 bicyclist, 1 ATV operator (29 total)
>> Maui County: 2 motor vehicle occupants, 7 pedestrians, 4 motorcyclists, 1 bicyclist (14 total)
>> Kauai County: 2 motor vehicle occupants, 4 pedestrians, 1 motorcyclist, 1 ATV operator (8 total)
*City and County of Honolulu counted 52 traffic fatalities total, possibly due to differing criteria.
Source: State Department of Transportation
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2024 survey of Hawaii residents
>> Speeding. Nearly one-quarter admitted to exceeding the speed limit by more than 20 mph; over half exceeded the speed limit by 10-20 mph at last once in the previous 6 months.
>> Driving under influence. 12% of car drivers and 20% of pickup truck drivers admitted to DUI after three or more alcoholic beverages at least once in the past 6 months.
>> Driving while using the phone. 56% of car drivers and 61% of pickup truck drivers admitted using phones while driving at least once in the past 6 months.
>> Violating traffic laws. 21% of car drivers admitted driving through crosswalks without checking for pedestrians. A similar percentage admitted to running red lights.
>> Not wearing seat belts. About 1 in 4 car drivers reported not checking whether passengers were wearing seat belts. In pickup trucks, 21% allowed passengers to ride in the truck bed even though seats were available in the cab.
Source: HDOT annual behavioral survey
