Officials encourage safety on the road during the holidays
Dec 23, 2024
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The state Department of Transportation (DOT) is urging the public to be careful on the roads this holiday season following a dangerous weekend on the roadways.
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Transportation officials said fatalities on the road are increasing across the state.
A woman was critically injured after she was hit by a vehicle Monday afternoon on Kauai. Police stated she was hit while crossing Kuhio Highway.
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On Oahu, another woman died after a car hit her on the H-1 freeway in Waipahu. She was walking through traffic lanes when it happened, according to police.
The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) continues to look for a driver involved in Sunday's deadly hit-and-run in Kunia. Officers stated a motorcyclist was hit by another vehicle. The impact caused the motorcycle to crash into a utility pole and burst into flames.
"Last year, we had 92 fatalities, which was down from 116 the year before. Now we're back up to 98," said Ed Sniffen, DOT Director. "People died as pedestrians, bicyclists or any vehicle occupants on our system."
According to DOT, 40 to 55% of fatalities are caused by drunk driving. 30 to 35% are caused by excessive speed and 15 to 25% are because of distracted driving.
"We get rid of those, we get rid of over 93% of the fatalities that occur on the system," stated Sniffen.
To prevent more deaths on the road, HPD will increase enforcement during the holidays, per DOT.
"Don't drink and drive, because you're probably going to get caught. If you get caught, it's actually for your own good so you don't end up killing yourself or somebody else," stated Sniffen.
Organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) believe impaired driving increases during the holidays.
"People do know about getting a designated driver, about using a ride service, about taking a taxi, about taking the bus," said Arkie Koehl, MADD's Policy Committee Chair. "It's just that most people, many people, after they've had a drink or two forget about those things and they think they can drive and they can't."
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DOT encourages the community to enjoy the holidays but to do it safely – not only for drivers but pedestrians as well.
"We saw two pedestrians killed on our freeway in areas that we don't expect to see pedestrians," said Sniffen. "There are people riding scooters and electric bikes on the freeway where they should not be. That differential in speed is super dangerous, especially because they're vulnerable and not protected by anything."