Elderly top pedestrian deaths
| • | Victim regarded as caring, giving |
By Allison Schaefers
Advertiser Staff Writer
The death of an 82-year-old Kalihi man hit by a car Tuesday has prompted Honolulu police traffic investigators to say they are alarmed by the number of elderly among pedestrian fatalities this year.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Servillano Bandonil, who died after being struck by a car while running across North King Street, was the ninth pedestrian killed on O'ahu this year, said Maj. Bryan Wauke, head of the Honolulu Police Department's traffic division.
North King Street, nearly deserted after a pedestrian fatality Tuesday, has been the site of several traffic deaths during the past few years, especially among the elderly.
HPD said that from 1996 to 2002, 65 percent of pedestrian fatalities have involved victims 60 or older.
"The elderly are a concern for us," Wauke said. "They aren't as resilient as younger people."
Each year about 23 O'ahu pedestrians die as a result of traffic crashes and many more are seriously injured, Wauke said.
In December, a 63-year-old woman was hit and killed by a car while walking to a bus stop on North King Street at Richard Lane, about a half-mile from Tuesday's accident.
Another senior was killed in late 2000, and two more injured in early 2001 at the intersection of North King Street and Peterson Lane, where the city later installed a traffic signal. And police say there have been others.
Wauke said police have begun additional educational and enforcement campaigns targeting elderly walkers and careless drivers.
The department issued 743 pedestrian-related citations from January to June of this year, said Michele Yu, HPD's assistant media liaison.
The department has also put together a brochure with safety tips for pedestrians. The brochure, which is translated into seven languages, tells pedestrians how to avoid becoming a traffic statistic, Wauke said. Officers also present traffic safety programs at elderly housing complexes and senior clubs, he said.
Traffic division officers have also stepped up enforcement by supplementing roadblocks with "saturation patrols" or teams of officers who are posted in select parts of town.
The 10-member team looks for motorists who disregard stop signs, who drive without headlights or whose safety checks have lapsed. The program also targets drunken drivers or jaywalkers.
"We hope to detect a greater number of impaired drivers by increasing the number of contacts we have with motorists," Wauke said. "The teams work mostly at night, focusing on areas where previous collisions have occurred and where alcohol is likely to be served."
Bernadette Young, the chairwoman of the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board, said pedestrian traffic accidents involving the elderly are so prevalent in her community that it's a frequent topic at board meetings.
"Recently, I saw an elderly man get off the bus and run across the street during morning traffic," Young said. "He was using his left arm like a football player to block traffic. It sounds funny but it's not because they are putting themselves and others at risk."
Young said police have conducted educational programs at the elderly housing complexes in her community, but that many seniors still choose to take their chances and run across the street rather than walk a few yards to a crosswalk.
Reach Allison Schaefers at aschaefers@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8110.
