The rugged cliffside roads of West Maui nearly took another life yesterday, when a 22-year-old man's pickup truck ran off the side of Kahekili Highway between Kahakuloa and Waihe'e about 3 a.m., but snagged 200 feet below the road.

Six years ago, a 35-year-old Napili man and a 3-year-old boy died when their car left Kahekili Highway less than a mile from yesterday's crash. Last year, a 45-year-old Illinois visitor was killed when his car fell 300 feet from Kahekili Highway near Kahakuloa, about three miles away. Just two months ago, 20 miles away and also on West Maui, a tourist's car plunged 140 feet into the ocean, killing the Missouri driver.

In yesterday's case, the driver was able to crawl from his truck and cling to the side of the cliff until help arrived. He was not seriously hurt.

"His vehicle went over the cliff. The vehicle fell approximately 200 feet," county public information officer Mahina Martin wrote in a report on the incident.

She said the driver, who was not identified, crawled out of the wreck but apparently was unable to get back to the roadway. Firefighters had to use climbing gear to get to him.

"Fire rescue crews ... rappelled down the cliff side to the victim, strapped him to a harness and brought him to safe ground," Martin wrote.

A number of Maui roads run along rugged and very steep slopes, and auto rental firms urge motorists to avoid those areas. Among them are the northeast side of West Maui, where Honoapi'ilani Highway passes Honolua, turns into a dirt road through Kakahuloa and goes on to Wailuku as Kahekili Highway. The Pi'ilani Highway between Kipahulu and Kaupo is also recommended against by car rental firms. In each case, the road is cut out of a rugged, steep coastline, and has numerous sharp turns and very little shoulder. Parts of the Maui coastline roadway system is just one lane wide.

State Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa said the department has studied the West Maui road system, and continues to look at it, but has identified no easy solutions.

"There are physical limitations in improving that road. It's basically on the side of a cliff," he said.

Signs warn of road inadequacies, but in some ways such areas suffer the same problems as some of the most dangerous trails in the Islands. While they are potentially hazardous, visitors are encouraged by Web sites and guidebooks to visit them.

Two visiting women were killed Dec. 19, 2006, in a fall from an unmarked trail near 'Opaeka'a Falls on Kaua'i. While extremely hazardous, the trail was publicized in guide books and on Web sites. Guides also tout the spectacular views along the cliffside roadway around West Maui.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.