New year starts with a bang that nobody wants to hear

The new year started with a series of bangs on Kaua‘i.

Unfortunately, they weren’t of the fireworks variety.

When the smoke cleared at the end of the first month of 2004, there were three people dead, one in critical condition, and a year’s worth of fatalities piled up in just one month.

While the number of “whys” are plentiful and some of them probably may never be answered, they are still being asked.

The Garden Island turned to some traffic experts to look for reasons why there were so many deadly accidents in January, why there were also a number of pedestrian-vehicle incidents, and what Kaua‘i motorists and pedestrians can do to keep themselves safe on island roadways.

“Inattention and driving too fast for the prevailing conditions are primary reasons leading to crashes,” said Dr. Panos D. Prevedouros, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

“Prevailing conditions include the condition of the roadway, the amount of traffic, environmental conditions such as night, rain, fog, sun in driver’s eyes, the condition and type of the vehicle (i.e., compared to sedans, SUVs and trucks are less agile and may have tires providing a lower friction on paved roads) and the condition of the driver (fatigue, intoxication, etc.),” he said.

“In some cases crashes are unavoidable because one of the drivers involved made a gross error such as going through a stop sign or light or lost control of his or her vehicle on a high-speed road with heavy traffic.

“Drivers should minimize distractions while driving, stay focused on the task, maintain their vehicles well (particularly the brakes and tires including proper inflation on all four corners), drive defensively and be alert for unexpected occurrences (i.e., erratic driving for pothole avoidance has become the norm in Honolulu in the last few months),” said Prevedouros.

“Of course, drivers should use the proper eye prescription and avoid driving under the influence of substances that affect driving. Good road manners always make it easier for all motorists in traffic,” he said.

“Drivers and pedestrians share responsibility in making sure it’s safe,” said Lt. Scott Yagihara of the Kaua‘i Police Department traffic safety section.

Further, Yagihara thinks modern times have conditioned drivers to expect to be able to hop onto island roads and get to their destinations rapidly and without hassle.

“I think that as a society, whether people are from here or from the Mainland, over time we have become conditioned, and technology has caused us to become conditioned, that there are so many things that have become instant,” Yagihara said.

“Because of that conditioning, we’re used to having things in a short time, and that causes us to want things quickly, including getting from one place to another. Sometimes our infrastructure doesn’t allow us to do that,” he said, likening the amount of traffic trying to maneuver on Kaua‘i roads to water flowing through a small pipe.

“There’s only so much cars that can fit on a highway. At some point it’s going to bottleneck,” he said. And on Kaua‘i, there aren’t many alternative routes.

Solutions must be a combination of engineering, enforcement and education, and all have costs associated with them, Yagihara noted.

He suggested Kaua‘i drivers should leave earlier to arrive at destinations on time, always plan for delays, and obey traffic laws.

“It would be nice if people would be compliant of our traffic laws. We would rather have people be compliant with our traffic laws than have to issue citations,” he said.

Still, Kaua‘i residents could boast of the lowest number of traffic fatalities in the state last year (five).

In addition to the end-of-the-month catastrophe where two young Kauaians were killed in a single-car accident (please see the related story), Penelope “Penny” Hardenburgh, 49, a Wailua resident and formerly a long-time resident of Princeville, was struck and killed while crossing Kuhio Highway near Kintaro Japanese Restaurant Jan. 5. She was not in a crosswalk, and the driver was doing the speed limit, according to witnesses.

An elderly man suffered arm, hand and head injuries after being hit by a long-bed Ford F-150 while walking at the entrance of The Fish Express on Kuhio Highway in Lihu‘e at about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10.

The driver said he was blinded by the sun.

Two cars crashed head-on the following day, Sunday, Jan. 11, on Kuhio Highway, near Kuawa Road in Kilauea, putting four people in the hospital with serious injuries.

Tomorrow: Life on the edge; a pedestrian tells her story.

Theresa London, who walks to work in Lihu‘e, said she takes her life in her hands whether she crosses the street in a crosswalk or not.

“I walk two miles a day, five days a week to and from work, and two days a week for errands such as going to the post office and grocery store. Every single day, I almost get hit by some idiot,” London said. “I use crosswalks whenever I can, and I can tell you, it’s no safer using a crosswalk on this island than it is not using one.”

While pedestrians do have the right-of-way while in a crosswalk, Yagihara said they also must take it upon themselves to make sure the driver sees them before crossing the street.

“Sometimes, some people think having the right of way means, ‘just cross and the driver might see you,'” he said. “Make sure the driver stops before attempting to cross at a crosswalk.

“Drivers are supposed to stop provided they have proficient time to stop,” he added. “Where there are no signals to cross, pedestrians need to be” especially careful, Yagihara continued.

But London said drivers have a tendency to ignore pedestrians.

“What’s even worse is when people see me in the crosswalk (on roads without traffic lights), see that I’ve already started, and then get into the other lane in order to race by me in the crosswalk instead of stopping,” she said.

“Instead of the signs that are near the crosswalks now, we need signs that say ‘Please stop for pedestrians in crosswalk,’ or lights along the crosswalk lines that light up when people are in the crosswalk,” London added. “I’ve seen such lights on crosswalks in Kona.”

On her route, she said, the toughest crossings aren’t always on the biggest streets.

“My most dangerous crosswalk crossings, believe it or not, are the three near Big Save — Hardy Street; the one between Big Save and the State Building (‘Eiwa Street); and Rice Street next to the museum,” London said.

And some of the pedestrian paths aren’t exactly user-friendly, London continued.

“Another danger for me is walking along Haleko Street (Road),” she said. “There is a little room on each side of the road for pedestrians and bicyclists, but they’re usually so dirt- and debris-covered that there’s only a few inches to walk on, right next to the white lines.

“Also, cars speed down that road so fast that they’d never be able to stop in time. I’ve also seen cars swerve over the line as they’re driving down the road,” London said.

“If I were at that spot, I’d be hit — and probably killed, seeing how the speed they’re doing is well over 40 mph. Yet Kuhio Highway doesn’t have sidewalks (in some locations), and Haleko is the lesser of two evils.”

“Pedestrians need to be active and fully responsible participants in the traffic system,” said Prevedouros.

“They must not rely exclusively on pavement markings, signs and signals in order to cross, but they must always scan for traffic and act accordingly.

“Pedestrians should act like drivers who are waiting for a safe gap to enter the traffic,” Prevedouros continued. “They must be cautious, allow for a safety margin, and as much as possible make eye contact with the drivers of approaching vehicles.

“Illegal mid-block crossings and darting across the street are high-risk behaviors with usually grave consequences for the pedestrians,” said Prevedouros.

While the rash of accidents occurred across the island, Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste stood firm in a decision to delay release of his anticipated “traffic-calming” plan until it is finished and ready to be unveiled.

“Because the plan has been in the works long before these incidents occurred, we will continue, as is, with the plan development,” said Cyndi Mei Ozaki, county public information officer.

The plan will be released soon, she said.

“We have sadly been exposed to several traffic accidents and traffic fatalities in recent weeks,” Baptiste said. “However unrelated each of these incidents were to one another, they unfortunately serve as a harsh reminder to all of us about traffic safety.

“I encourage all of Kaua‘i’s drivers to exercise safe-driving practices, drive defensively, and don’t speed,” said Baptiste. “When we get behind the wheel of a car, we are responsible not only for ourselves and our passengers, but for everyone we encounter on the road as well.”

Associate Editor Paul C. Curtis may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net.

Staff Writer Tom Finnegan may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mailto:tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.