Report: Hawaii is among most dangerous places for older pedestrians

Updated: Jun. 17, 2019 at 3:06 PM HST
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HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A new national report ranks Hawaii as the third most dangerous state for older pedestrians.

Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design report found that adults over 50 were nearly three times more likely to be struck and killed while walking in Hawaii than people under 50.

From 2008 to 1017, some 226 pedestrians were killed in the Islands.

Those figures meant Hawaii ranked 30th overall in the nation for the dangers pedestrians face, with the no. 1 state (Florida) being the worst. But Hawaii is likely to jump up significantly in the ranking for 2018.

That’s because while the islands had just 14 pedestrian fatalities in 2017, it had 43 last year.

The report’s findings underscore the dangers pedestrians in the islands face, said AARP Hawaii outreach Director Jackie Boland.

But, she said, the state and city are making progress.

“We hope that the Dangerous by Design report will inspire them (government) to continue the momentum so that deep analysis of our road crash data can occur as soon as possible and counter measures adopted to prevent future deaths,” said Boland.

The city has worked in recent years to bolster pedestrian safety, including with a so-called “Complete Streets” approach, and better design transportation projects with all ages in mind.

State lawmakers have also sought to cut pedestrian deaths.

In May, legislators passed a bill that would require the state and county to adopt a “Vision Zero” policy that seeks to ultimately eliminate all traffic-related deaths. The measure has been sent to the governor for his signature.

The Oahu Metropolitan Planning Council has recently agreed to fund city Department of Transportation’s Vision Zero plan.

For an interactive map that shows pedestrian fatalities across all 50 states, click here.

Pedestrian Safety by on Scribd

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