Can Hawaiʻi turn around another deadly year on the roads?

The number of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents on Oʻahu through Sept. 29 was 18, equal to the total for last year, and the rate has been ticking up since 2023. Hawaiʻi island and Maui have both had seven fatalities and Kauaʻi had three this year. A dozen of the victims were homeless, according to the state Department of Transportation.

“A lot of your major roadways are these wide, fast and dangerous roads,” said Abbey Seitz, director of transportation equity at Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice. “That obviously is going to create an environment where it is particularly dangerous for pedestrians.”

Some pedestrians were killed while walking in areas that lack protective infrastructure, including a 90-year-old woman in a Kahuku neighborhood that doesn’t have sidewalks. The official posting from HPD said she was attempting to cross Leleuli Street outside a marked crosswalk at around 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 21 when a 27-year-old driver hit her.