ISLAND VOICES
Be safe: You, too, are a pedestrian
By Rodney Haraga
Rodney Haraga is director of the state Department of Transportation.
Across our nation, a pedestrian is killed about once every seven minutes. In Hawai'i, it happens mostly to our seniors (65 and older). Although this age group represents only 11 percent of the state's population, it represents 60 percent of the pedestrian casualties on O'ahu.
The state Department of Transportation recognizes that public education is paramount in helping to increase awareness of the problem and decrease these tragic incidents.
Our department, partnering with the city Department of Transportation Services and the Honolulu Police Department, recently marked the launch of Walk Wise Kupuna, a public education program focusing on safe crossing techniques and increased driver awareness with regard to senior pedestrians.
Walk Wise Kupuna employs several community outreach efforts, including presentations to senior citizens, a media campaign, Web site, pedestrian safety brochures in various languages and a special "multi-level" speakers' forum targeting drivers. In the past, research has shown an almost adversarial attitude between pedestrians and drivers, with each group blaming the other for the collisions.
Our campaign seeks to remind drivers that once they step out of their car, they, too, are pedestrians.
Key driver messages include staying focused on the road and watching for any sudden pedestrian movement. Particular caution is required at dawn and dusk (when most accidents occur) and when driving down multi-lane streets where pedestrians crossing may be hidden from view by a stopped car. Where appropriate, traffic lights and traffic-calming measures are being considered and installed. When appropriate, enforcement, such as ticketing jaywalkers or careless drivers, may be used.
Elderly pedestrians, for their part, are reminded to use crosswalks, to look for vehicles before stepping into the street and to establish eye contact with drivers. They are also reminded to carefully ascertain the speed of approaching cars.
For more information on Walk Wise Kupuna, visit www.walkwisekupuna.org or call the DOT's Safe Communities office at 587-6301.
