#traffic fatality

As of May 13, 53 traffic fatalities have occurred on Hawaiʻi’s roadways this year, a 51% increase from the same period last year when 35 deaths were recorded.

A 42-year-old Wailuku man was killed in a single vehicle collision in Kula, Maui on Friday. The accident was reported at 3:37 p.m. on Jan. 17, on Pulehuiki Road, about a half mile east of Lower Kula Road.

A 49-year-old Haʻikū woman suffered fatal injuries in a single-vehicle crash on Baldwin Avenue in Pāʻia, Wednesday.

A 44-year-old Kahului woman succumbed to injuries sustained in a single vehicle crash reported on Oct. 31 on West Kuiaha Road in Haʻikū, police said. Police have since identified the woman.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Transportation reports that 59 people have been killed in traffic related crashes statewide from January through July 27, 2024; a 17% increase from 49 fatalities at the same time last year.

A fatal hit-and-run collision in Kapalua on Friday claimed the life of a 39-year-old Lahaina woman. Police say a preliminary investigation reveals that the woman was attempting to retrieve a chicken carcass out of the roadway and walk back to the southbound makai shoulder when she was struck by a white 2014 BMW X5 traveling northeast on Honoapiʻilani Highway.  The operator of the BMW did not stop or render aid to the pedestrian and fled the scene northeastbound on Honoapiʻilani Highway, according to police.

A 68-year-old Lahaina woman who was struck by a vehicle while crossing the Honoapiʻilani Highway on foot Wednesday night, has died of injuries sustained in the collision.

A 19-year-old motorcyclist from Haʻikū, Maui suffered fatal injuries in a crash on Haleakalā Highway late Sunday night.

Police believe that speed and impairment are possible factors in the crash. The 31-year-old was also not wearing his seat belt.

“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.

This year to date there have been 93 fatalities on Hawai‘i roads. The HDOT is asking all roadway users to place a priority on safety, so everyone returns home to their family and friends as we close out 2023 and enter 2024.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation is providing year-to-date traffic fatality statistics for 2023 as it continues to promote responsible driving habits to keep roads safe. As of Dec. 13, 2023, 92 fatalities caused by motor vehicle collisions were reported statewide. While there has been improvement in overall driving behavior, the number of fatalities by motorcycle collisions has been consistently high for multiple years.

A total of 51 lives were lost on Hawai‘i roads so far this year. Transportation officials say “zero is the only number that is acceptable.”

Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation launches a Speeding Catches Up With You campaign today, in an effort to reduce speeding and vehicle deaths.  “Regardless of the identified cause of a traffic crash, the cause of a traffic fatality is always speed,” said Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen. “Excessive speed reduces reaction time and increases lethality of impacts. Lets stop speeding and reduce the number of people who die senselessly on our highways. 

Governor Josh Green signed seven bills into law on Thursday, aimed at increasing safety on Hawaiʻi’s roadways.  One of the bills allows driver license renewal online and by mail, and takes effect in two years on July 1, 2025. Another bill establishes a Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee. State officials say Hawaii had 117 traffic fatalities and nearly 600 serious or paralyzing injuries on its roadways last year.

Lawmakers were joined by families of victims, school leaders, and community advocacy groups to announce the passage of key bills that will help end traffic fatalities on our streets. The action comes following multiple traffic fatalities near schools this year.

In Hawaiʻi, there were 527 traffic-related deaths from 2017-2021. From January through June 2022, there were 60 fatalities statewide, compared to 46 during the same period in 2021.

A 68-year-old man riding a motorcycle died Sunday morning after a moped crossed the center line of Kahekili Highway in Wailuku and hit him head-on, according to the Maui police.

Jason Walsh, who was struck by a car May 26 while crossing Hāna Highway on foot in Kahului, has died of his injuries while at Kaiser Moanalua Hospital on Oʻahu, the Maui Police Department reported today.

An unidentified male pedestrian was in the outer westbound lane of Kaʻahumanu Avenue in Kahului at about 8:47 p.m. Friday when he was struck by two vehicles and suffered fatal injuries, according to the Maui Police Department.