HONOLULU (KHON2) — There is a renewed push to keep Hawaii roads safe during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Residents are speaking out against reckless driving and advocates are calling for an end to drunk driving.
Eric Checchio has lived along Wilikina Drive for about one year and said he has gotten used to cars racing down the road right outside his apartment building.
“Especially in the middle of the night, you’re in bed, you got little kids that got to get up for school, we’ll be in the living room watching T.V. and a car will go zipping by, or a motorcycle or something like that. Even the motorcycles do it,” Checchio said as a motorcycle revved its engine. “Prime example!”
Residents said several cars have been totaled while parked along Wilikina Drive and they will not be the last unless a solution is found. Two wrecks in the last six months have left residents on edge about reckless drivers smashing into their vehicle.
Check out more news from around Hawaii
“Why should we have to worry about being parked in a stall that we pay for and have to worry about coming out the next morning to our car cleaned out?” Checchio said.
“I’ve heard probably like up to like, 20 accidents,” said Wahiawa resident Rory Redmon. “Man, like, it’s got to stop. How do you prevent this type of thing from happening? You know what I mean, in the future.”
“A lot of people follow the speed limit, yeah? And a lot don’t,” said Rory Redmon, a Wahiawa resident.
Residents add speed humps, a traffic light or even a police car with its blue light on might help the situation.
“I love HPD, I’m not trying to get down on HPD, but you know, either having HPD out here every once in a while, maybe more roving patrols,” Checchio said.
Advocates are hoping everyone makes it through the next couple of nights without a serious or fatal crash at the hands of a drunk driver over the Forth of July weekend. They point to the Department of Transportation message boards which are displaying the name of 15-year-old Brian Paulette — Paulette was just 15 years old when he was killed by a drunk driver in 1992.
“It’s, you know, a powerful reminder that these aren’t just faceless tragedies. You know, it’s putting a name to something that occurred and hopefully it’s more impactful for people driving,” said Makena Young, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawaii program manager.
“It needs to be slowed down, something needs to be done because there’s people dying,” Checchio said. “I really hate to say this, but no one does anything until something bad happens.”