On Sept. 29, 1994, a car went off the roadway, went down a steep driveway and crashed into one of the house's bedrooms. No one was seriously injured.

Since 1994, there have been four more incidents involving vehicles going off the road, through the Sakuma's front yard and into a neighboring relative's yard. A utility pole fronting the Sakuma's house has been struck and the family's mailbox destroyed several times by vehicles.

"There are more cars now than six or seven years ago and they're always speeding down the hill," Sakuma said.

Concerned for their safety, Sakuma and his wife, Sheryl, have been seeking help from city officials since moving into the house about 15 months ago.

"We've exhausted all resources," John Sakuma told the 'Aiea Neighborhood Board at its Nov. 8 meeting.

Chairman William Clark asked board member David Arakawa, who is the city's corporate counsel, to look into the matter on behalf of the board.

Keoki Miyamoto, director of the city's Department of Transportation Services, sent inspectors to view the site and, based on their findings, he filed a written request this month to Tim Steinberger, director of design and construction, to extend an existing guardrail on Ulune Street about 20 feet.

Miyamoto noted that the Sakumas' situation is not uncommon on O'ahu and that guardrails are designed not to protect private homes but motorists.

"Homeowners can build things, like retaining walls, to protect their property," Miyamoto said. Guardrails are designed to deflect a vehicle and keep it on the road, he said.

The city cannot extend the guardrail on Ulune Street more than 20 feet without creating a sight problem for vehicles exiting a nearby driveway, said Miyamoto.

John Sakuma said 20 feet is better than nothing but that 25 feet would be "at a minimum perfectly ideal." The extension Sakuma is seeking does not reach his family's house but prevents a vehicle from going off the road. "You got to fix it if it's broken, not Band-Aid it," Sakuma said.