The drivers race by on their way to work. They speed through a nearby school zone. Sometimes they even make obscene gestures as she waves a sign that says "Please drive with aloha."

"Good citizenship is direly missing," she said.

"No one seems concerned," Golojuch said. "No one comes out to join us. They're more concerned about drivers being inconvenienced than protecting the safety of our children."

New figures give Golojuch's pleas added urgency.

More than 1,000 people have died in speeding-related traffic accidents in Hawai'i in the past two decades, and the numbers are getting worse as time goes by, according to a new national report.

The study released this month by the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration found that more than one-third of all traffic deaths in the state over a 20-year period involved at least one speeding driver.

There's no doubt that speeding-related fatalities are increasing in Hawai'i.

In the early through mid-1980s, 26.6 percent of all traffic fatalities involved at least one speeding driver. By the early 1990s, the figure had increased to 34.4 percent. In the last few years, it's been more than 36 percent.

"The roads are smoother, the cars are faster and there's a sort of video-game mentality to driving these days," said Scott Ishikawa, state Transportation Department spokesman.

While national campaigns to increase seat-belt use and reduce drunken driving have proven highly successful in the last 25 years, efforts to reduce speeding-related deaths have not kept pace, with speeding citations by Honolulu police declining 11 percent last year.

That could change starting in October, however.

Honolulu police are developing a program that would combine intense speeding enforcement efforts four weeks a year with high-profile education efforts, much like the federally financed Click It or Ticket campaigns to enforce seat-belt use, said Sgt. Robert Lung of the Honolulu Police Department's traffic division.

However, state lawmakers this year failed to pass any bills that would have increased penalties for speeders.

"We're going to come up with some new ideas to see about changing that next year, too," Lung said

Golojuch said some drivers have slowed in her area thanks to the sign waving, but most continue to speed.

"When even one officer is present, more cars slow down," Golojuch said. "But the last police presence was May 23. HPD presence makes a difference."

State Transportation Director Rod Haraga, however, said even more is needed.

"We know where the speeding happens and we know how to enforce it, but often the effect is only good for one night," Haraga said. "If we could confiscate their cars or make them pay more, we'd be able to make a bigger impact than we do now."

State officials say one hopeful sign at the Legislature this year was the passage of a graduated license program that limits driving privileges for those under 18.

"It helps keep younger drivers off the road at night when most of the speeding and racing takes place," Ishikawa said. "It also helps them learn good driving habits while they're young. If we can teach younger drivers to be safe, maybe we can start to change the thinking about speeding."

The NHTSA report, released only days after another national study found that police regularly give motorists a cushion of 10 mph above the speed limit before pulling them over, suggests that states need to adopt a speed management program that includes education, engineering and enforcement.

It also says, though, that the setting of speed limits and enforcement involve value judgments and trade-offs frequently handled through the political process.

"There is no single right answer because policymakers in different communities may legitimately disagree on the priority given to factors — safety, travel time, enforcement, expenditures, community concerns — that affect decisions about speed limits," the report said. "The primary focus must remain on safety."