Posted on: Friday, December 13, 2002

Wife's death spurs crusade

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

WAIKANE — Stephen Horibata wants to turn personal tragedy — the death of his wife of 32 years in a head-on crash — into life-saving initiatives for Windward residents.

Sue Ann Horibata, 56, was killed Nov. 1 near Waikane Store after the driver of a northbound pickup truck crossed the center line on Kamehameha Highway and veered into the path of Horibata's 1992 Nissan Maxima.

Stephen Horibata, of La'ie, said he believes that the truck's driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, and he wants the state to install some kind of device in the road to wake people up, get their attention and make them slow down. He plans to address the area's neighborhood board and state representatives to press his case.

"If there's a way to get community support to do something out there, I'm all for it," said Horibata, 60.

Money should not be an issue, he said, because "all the money in the world cannot buy even one life."

The stretch from Waiahole Valley to Kualoa is considered by area residents to be one of Windward O'ahu's most dangerous parts of Kamehameha Highway. Waikane lies between the two.

Last year there were 19 major accidents and five minor accidents on the 1 1/2-mile section of Kamehameha Highway from Waikane Valley Road to Johnson Road, according to police statistics. In such statistics, a major accident is defined as one in which there is a death or injury, or more than $3,000 in damage.nd though most of those accidents occurred near Johnson Road, those familiar with the area say the entire stretch is dangerous, with one sweeping curve and a couple of smaller ones, hills that reduce visibility and numerous side streets from which motorists try to get onto Kamehameha, where vehicles are traveling at highway speeds.

Kahalu'u Neighborhood Board chairman Daniel Bender said some members of his family refuse to use the road because of the hazards. Board member Richard Vermeesch said he sees vehicles crossing the center line all the time and it's frightening.

The stretch of highway where Sue Ann Horibata was killed is relatively straight, according to vehicular homicide Sgt. William Baldwin, who said two-lane roads have a higher potential for accidents because cars traveling in opposite directions are separated only by a painted line.

"You always have trouble with those types of roadways," he said.

Police could not confirm whether the driver of the pickup truck that struck Horibata's vehicle at 6:10 a.m. that day was asleep. They did note that there were seven people in the vehicle, five of them in the bed of the pickup. Four people from the pickup were injured.

No charges have been filed in connection with the accident.

Stephen Horibata's campaign to improve safety won't be the first such appeal to the state, according to Bender, who said that through the years the board has appealed to the state Department of Transportation for improvements, as well as to other agencies that issue permits for activities.

"We try to let the commissions know the carrying capacity of the road is pretty maxed out, and whenever they have an event where there's a lot of traffic there's a potential for injury," Bender said.

The results have been mixed, he said. The DOT has made improvements to the road in Kahalu'u where motorists have misjudged a curve and ended up in the stream. The department also has plans for a roundabout at Kamehameha Highway and Kahekili Highway that is expected to slow traffic and allow smoother flow through the intersection. But the DOT couldn't say whether there were any plans for the Waikane area.

The DOT is conducting a demonstration project in Ma'ili that is intended to do what Horibata wants in Waikane, but the results were not available yet.

"We're experimenting and if it's successful and seems to slow people down and wake them up, maybe we'll try them in other places," said Marilyn Kali, DOT spokeswoman.

John Piper, transportation co-chairman of the Kahalu'u Neighborhood Board, which includes the Waikane area, said Horibata's proposal is sound.

In Ma'ili the state installed what appear to be plastic strips about 11/2 to 2 inches high, extending across the width of the road, Piper said."The strips will get your attention," Piper said.