Two drivers died in separate vehicle accidents Friday on the Big Island and Kaua'i, police said yesterday.

The first crash occurred at 2:58 p.m. on the Hawai'i Belt Road in the Ka'u District of the Big Island.

Big Island police said a 48-year-old Kailua, Kona, man was driving a 1986 Nissan sedan headed west when he crossed the centerline and collided with a 2000 International van.

The Nissan driver was pronounced dead at Kona Community Hospital. The driver of the van, a 41-year-old Kailua, Kona, man, was treated and released from Ka'u Hospital.

Police said alcohol may have been a factor and opened a negligent homicide investigation.

The death was the seventh traffic fatality on the Big Island this year, compared to six at the same time last year, police said.

On Kaua'i, police said two pickup trucks collided about 4 p.m. on Kuhio Highway at Moloa'a Bridge, leaving one driver dead and the other with minor injuries.

The northbound driver lost control, crossed the centerline and crashed into a southbound truck, police said. The driver of the northbound truck was killed.

Police have not determined whether speed or alcohol were involved.