Big Isle tops
traffic deaths

The county accounts for 30 percent
of state fatalities, a report says

HILO » Big Island motorists died in traffic crashes at more than three times the rate of Oahu drivers from 2000 to 2003, while the county's frequency of vehicle fatalities, when adjusted for population, was nearly twice that of Maui and Kauai counties during that time, a state analysis found.

The statistics were contained in a study recently released by the state Department of Health.

The per-capita fatality rate for vehicle occupants was similar when figures were adjusted to account for the counties' different sizes. Deaths from motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian accidents were excluded from the study.

"We still know that Hawaii County has clearly the highest fatality rate by either method that you use," said Daniel Galanis, an epidemiologist with the Health Department's Injury Prevention and Control Program.

Galanis, who prepared the study, also found that Big Island drivers accounted for 30 percent of all automobile deaths recorded statewide between 1996 and 2003. By comparison, less than 13 percent of Hawaii's residents live on the Big Island, according to the 2000 Census.

Although the report did not conclude why Big Island motorists are more likely to die in car crashes, Galanis said he believes likely factors could include longer driving distances and higher speeds due to less-congested roads.

However, Galanis' report also found that the neighbor islands have become safer in the last four years while the City and County of Honolulu has stayed the same.

From 1996 to 1999, an average of 1.9 out of every 10,000 Big Islanders died in car crashes. That number dipped to an average of 1.3 during the last four years, Galanis said.

"It's good to see the Big Island is coming down a bit. We'll see if it holds up," he said. "It's always been a sore thumb."

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim said drivers have to be made aware of the "unacceptable" frequency of crashes and deaths.

He said a special group has been set up to examine why the crashes and deaths are occurring so frequently.

The 39-member Motor Vehicle Crash Reduction Group will lobby for changes to state laws, Chairwoman Lilian Beaufrere said.

"We really are trying to work on solutions to make a safer environment," she said.