HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT) is urging everyone who uses the state’s roads to drive, walk and ride with care after the number of traffic deaths this year passed last year’s total.
As of Thursday, Oct. 24, 106 people have died in traffic crashes across the islands. That is already higher than the 102 total deaths recorded in all of 2024.
The deaths include drivers, passengers, pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists, scooter riders and people using other ways to travel, such as skateboards and Utility Task Vehicles.
A call for shared responsibility
HDOT Director Ed Sniffen said the department is working toward a long-term goal of eliminating traffic deaths in Hawaiʻi.
“We are committed to reaching our goal of zero traffic deaths –- with infrastructure it will take decades of rebuilding systems to separate users and manage speeds to make it harder to drive, bike, or walk dangerously,” Sniffen said.
He went on to explain further.
“However, as community members, we can solve this today. If everyone follows the law and makes safety a priority, 93% of the people who typically die in crashes caused by drunk and drugged driving, speeding and distraction all make it home.”
HDOT officials said most fatal crashes involve preventable choices. They ask people to obey traffic laws, drive and ride sober and stay alert.
They also remind everyone that seatbelts save lives and that helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by nearly 70%.
HDOT passed these guidelines along for all drivers in the state:
- “Reduce distractions: Don’t drive, ride or walk while using your phone or devices.
- Obey traffic laws such as speed limits, traffic signals, signs and lane markings.
- Ride and drive sober: Do not operate any vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Use your safety gear: Remember, everyone in a car is required to wear a seatbelt, even if they are in the back seat. Children under the age of eight must be in a car seat or booster. Riders are reminded that helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by 69% and the risk of death by 42%.”
Projects focused on safety
In 2025, HDOT introduced several safety projects statewide. These include high-reflectivity striping on the H-3 Freeway, removal of passing zones on Honoapiʻilani Highway and new delineators at Lāhainā Bypass and Keawe Street to stop illegal turns.
A raised crosswalk was added on Route 190 at Kaiminani Street, and in-lane rumble strips were installed near the entrance to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
The department also improved intersections along Kahekili Highway with bulb-outs and new pavement markings.
HDOT provided these selections of the engineering countermeasures they have taken in 2025:
- “Installation of high-reflectivity striping on the H-3 Freeway.
- Elimination of passing zones along Honoapiʻilani Highway between Kai Hele Ku Street and Hokiokio Place.
- Installation of delineators to prevent vehicles from making illegal left turns at Lahaina Bypass and Keawe Street.
- Installation of a raised crosswalk on Route 190 at Kaiminani Street.
- Installation of in-lane rumble strips on Route 11 at Volcano National Park entrance.
- Installation of bulb-outs, pavement markings and delineators at Kahekili Highway’s intersections with Kulukeoe Street and Kahuhipa Street.”
Travel with Aloha
HDOT asks everyone to travel with Aloha by staying aware and being predictable and keeping a safe distance from others.
Message boards along Hawaiʻi’s freeways will again show how many days have passed since the last fatal crash to remind drivers of the real human cost of unsafe choices.
The department continues to stress that safety is everyone’s kuleana and that every person’s choice to slow down, stay sober and pay attention can help prevent another life lost on Hawaiʻi’s roads.