Editorial
Crash review policy needs a fresh look

Compared to the heartbreak involved in any serious auto accident, the inconvenience faced by those whose travel is interrupted or detoured is inconsequential.

So the immediate focus of the community after a horrifying weekend accident on the H-1 Freeway was properly on the loss of life and on the issue of road-racing, which might have contributed to the incident.

At some point, however, it would be worthwhile for the police department to take a fresh look at policies governing investigation of accidents on key highways and commuter routes. In the case of last Sunday's incident, the H-1 Freeway eastbound was closed for some eight hours.

While everyone wants and expects these investigations to be thorough, at some point a balancing of equities comes into play. There is no economic reason for the police to put particular emphasis on reopening some or all of the freeway to traffic. But there is an economic cost for the hundreds or thousands who are stuck in traffic or diverted.

In this case, the police say, they had to close the entire highway because evidence was scattered across all four lanes for a stretch of about a half-mile. So this was an investigation that could not be wrapped up quickly.

Still, in an increasingly congested Honolulu, it is time for the police department to take a new look at policies and priorities for such investigations. In most Mainland jurisdictions, getting traffic moving again is considered a high priority. It should be a priority here as well.