DOT: Hawaiʻi ends 2023 with 94 traffic fatalities

There were 94 traffic fatalities in 2023, a decrease from the 116 fatal traffic incidents reported in 2022. The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation has already reported its first traffic fatality of 2024, following an accident on Oʻahu reported at 7:44 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4.

“Every year we start with zero traffic fatalities but that doesn’t mean the pain and loss of those dying in avoidable crashes the previous year goes away,” said Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen. “We are starting 2024 with the tragic death of a 71-year-old man. I urge everyone to avoid the typical dangerous behaviors we see that cause fatal crashes. Don’t drink or take substances that may change the way you drive, slow down and follow the speed limit, and keep your attention on the road and your surroundings.”

HDOT reports it will continue to work to eliminate traffic fatalities through education on the common contributing factors in traffic deaths; engineering initiatives such as red-light safety cameras, speed mitigation and installation of other proven safety countermeasures; and support for enforcement of traffic safety laws through funding, training and equipment.

A breakdown of traffic fatality numbers from 2020 to the present follows. HDOT urges everyone to remember that each of these numbers was a person.

HDOT thanks the highway users that took their safety and the safety of others seriously and acted responsibly in 2023.