Posted on: Friday, March 25, 2005
Program encourages drivers to slow down near schools
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
Highlands Intermediate School in Pearl City and Kalihi Waena Elementary are being discussed as possible sites for the next AIG Hawai'i's Hot Spots program, which is designed to urge drivers to slow down on busy roads near schools.
• The speed limit in a school zone is 25 mph, but can be as low as 15 mph when school is in session.
• The fine for speeding in a school zone is $277.
• Pedestrians should always use crosswalks.If you want the Hot Spots program to visit your school, contact AIG Hawai'i's community relations department at 544-3930. In its third year of helping kids cross the street safely in school zones, the Hot Spots program works well because it includes everyone in the community, said Robin Campaniano, AIG president and chief executive officer.
More than 100 parents, students, AIG employees, teachers and police joined the effort at Kamiloiki, waving signs and reminding motorists to slow down, Campaniano said. Police issued eight citations that day, records show.
Kamiloiki parent Elise Johnson said this was the second time Hot Spots was orchestrated near the school. The first time was two years ago.
"It's a blind corner because of the heavy brush, and if you're going fast and try to throw your brakes on, there's not a lot of stopping time," Johnson said. "People think this road is the Daytona 500. We're trying to prevent an accident."
If you want the Hot Spots program to visit your school, contact AIG Hawai'i's community relations department at 544-3930. Hot Spots started in 2002 in response to growing concern over fatalities caused by speeding, Campaniano said.
Each quarter, with the help of the Honolulu Police Department, AIG Hawai'i identifies five schools with traffic or speeding problems that make them Hot Spots. Then, working with police and the school, AIG coordinates a sign-waving event on the sidewalk outside the school to help raise awareness of the issue.
This year, police also combined the effort with an assembly at Kamiloiki Elementary talking to students about pedestrian safety.
Of 17 traffic-related deaths on O'ahu so far this year, police estimate that about 40 percent can be attributed to speeding.
At Ka'ahumanu Elementary School, another Hot Spot site, speeding and a high volume of cars is a big concern, said vice principal Laura Ahn.
"We're right on Beretania Street and we have speeders all the time," Ahn said. "It's dangerous for our students."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
Last Friday, the insurance firm led an effort to remind motorists near Kamiloiki Elementary School in Hawai'i Kai to slow down and, in the fall, the company led a similar effort at King Intermediate School in Kane'ohe.
School-zone reminders
"We were asked to come back at Kamiloiki because some of the parents in the school felt that drivers had forgotten that there's a school zone," Campaniano said. "We all need constant reminders to slow down and to be careful."
The Hot Spots program
