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Preliminary data from
the state Department of Transportation shows a significant increase in traffic-related fatalities in Hawaii and Kauai counties from January through most of July compared with the same time in 2021.
Statistics show 25 traffic fatalities occurred from Jan. 1 through July 27, 2022, in Hawaii County, compared with 13 at the same time in 2021. Twenty-six traffic fatalities were reported in the county in all of 2021.
On Monday a 15-year-old boy identified as Zion Hao-Kallio of Ocean View was killed in a motor vehicle collision in Pepeekeo.
Police said a 1996 Honda Civic driven by a 20-year-old man was traveling south on Mamalahoa Highway with two passengers including Hao-Kallio when it lost control on the wet roadway and spun into the northbound lane, hitting a 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck.
The driver and Hao-Kallio, a rear passenger, were thrown from the vehicle upon impact. Police said the teenager was taken to Hilo Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.
The Honda driver sustained internal injuries,
and a 16-year-old front-seat passenger, who police said was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision,
sustained minor injuries.
The Chevrolet driver, a 40-year-old woman, sustained a fracture to her right heel and other injuries.
Police said speed was thought to be a factor in the collision. The East Hawaii Traffic Enforcement Unit
has initiated a negligent-homicide investigation.
Torey Keltner, program manager of the Hawaii Police Department’s Traffic Services Division, said there is no single factor identified as the reason for the increase in traffic fatalities in the county so far this year.
Overall, police are seeing more risky driving behaviors that are not just dangerous, but against the law, Keltner said.
“We need to get those behaviors in check,” he added. “Police alone can’t make it 100% better. … The community has to do their part.”
Motorists must follow the speed limit, not drive distracted, wear seat belts and not drive impaired.
“Too many people are speeding all the time,” Keltner said. “There’s no excuse for driving fast and not being careful when you’re driving.”
People are distracted by cellphone use or watching movies on electronic devices. “Keep your eyes on the road and focus on driving,” he added.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also identified seat belts as the greatest way people can keep themselves safe, Keltner said.
In Kauai County, statistics show six traffic-related fatalities from Jan. 1 through July 27, 2022, compared with zero at the same time in 2021. Two traffic fatalities were reported in the county in all of 2021.
The latest fatality on Kauai occurred in the early morning hours of July 13. Police said 21-year-old Dalton Burk of Wailua died in a single-vehicle crash after a 1997 Toyota Tacoma he was operating struck an embankment on Kuamoo Road.
A police preliminary report indicated alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.
In Maui County, data showed 13 traffic-related fatalities from Jan. 1 through July 27, 2022, compared with 10 at the same time in 2021. Sixteen traffic fatalities occurred in the county in all of 2021.
In the City and County of Honolulu, 26 traffic fatalities occurred from Jan. 1 through July 27, 2022, compared with 29 at the same time last year. Fifty traffic fatalities occurred in the city in all of 2021.
According to the DOT preliminary data, 70 traffic fatalities occurred from Jan. 1 through July 27, 2022, statewide, compared with 52 at the same time in 2021. Ninety-four fatalities occurred statewide in all of 2021.
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