Price of paradise drives some away

Yes, it’s not your imagination. Oahu is getting more crowded.

Thanks to the number of births, the overall population rose from 987,019 in 2013 to 991,788 in 2014. At that rate, it won’t be too long before we reach the milestone of 1 million people on our little island.

But the more concerning statistic is the number of people leaving for the mainland: 7,336 in 2013. In 2010, it was just 62. The experts say people are leaving for economic reasons — lower costs and better opportunities elsewhere. It’s an old story, but still discouraging.

It’s worrisome to imagine that Oahu’s population could consist increasingly of two categories: those well-off enough to thrive, and those too poor to start fresh elsewhere.

Distracted drivers are a menace

Easily avoidable distractions contribute to far more car crashes involving teenage drivers than previously thought.

An analysis of videos from vehicle-mounted cameras that recorded what the driver was doing immediately before the crash found that distractions such as talking to passengers and using a cellphone occurred in nearly 60 percent of moderate to severe crashes — more than four times higher than previous estimates, which were based on police reports.

People who refuse to put down their cell phones before they get behind the wheel are a menace to themselves and to everyone else on the road. This applies to drivers young and old.

Why is common sense so commonly ignored?