Hawaii already has the highest fatality rate in the United States among older pedestrians, and 2010 is off to an alarming start.

The death last week of a 65-year-old woman run down by a school bus as she tried to cross University Avenue at Kapiolani Boulevard highlights the continuing, urgent need for improved engineering, enforcement and education to make Hawaii's roads safer.

Seven pedestrians have died in the first seven weeks of this year, including five on Oahu—nearlyhalf the total 11 pedestrians killed on the island in all of 2009. All but one of the recent Oahu victims was older than 60.

The spate of deaths is especially disheartening given that the number of accidents had been declining steadily. If this lethal pattern continues, Hawaii will interrupt a four-year positive trend that has seen the number of pedestrian fatalities statewide drop each year, from 32 in 2006 to 16 in 2009.

During that time, the state Department of Transportation, the various counties and private groups such as the AARP have emphasized the “;three Es”; as Hawaii's aging population becomes more vulnerable to accidents—both as pedestrians and drivers.

Education got a big push, with the well-publicized “;Walk Wise Hawaii”; program encouraging vigilance and responsibility among both pedestrians and motorists. Enforcement also got a boost, with the passage of a law making it illegal to drive through a crosswalk until all walkers are safely on the other side.

Engineering is covered in the Complete Streets legislation passed last session, which paved the way for safer sidewalks, crosswalks and intersections in the years ahead.

While the comprehensive and coordinated planning among state and county agencies demanded under the law is laudable and necessary in some instances, the risk at certain intersections is so obvious that immediate action is warranted. Improvements should be made without delay—and they need not cost the taxpayers a fortune.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, with its online Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System, describes a variety of relatively simple, cost-effective and lifesaving measures proven to work in cities across the country.

Among the options: At intersections with traffic lights and at midblock crossings, the vehicle stop line can be moved 15 to 30 feet farther back from the crosswalk to improve visibility. When the driver and pedestrian can see each other better, each can assess the other's intentions—and avoid accidents.

The federal department cites one study that found erecting a “;Stop Here For Pedestrians”; sign alone reduced conflicts between drivers and pedestrians an average of 67 percent. With the addition of an advanced stop line (a “;stop here”; sign in combination with added distance to the crosswalk), conflicts were reduced by 90 percent.

Pedestrians, motorists and traffic engineers must redouble their efforts to ensure that the steady gains Hawaii has made in pedestrian safety are not lost this year.

Folks like to walk here. They walk to work, to school, to the market, to catch the bus. It shouldn't be a death-defying feat.