A new islandwide effort to translate pedestrian safety laws into other languages is starting in Chinatown.

On April 15, a pedestrian safety meeting at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza will be conducted in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Bright yellow pedestrian safety bags, filled with multi-lingual education materials, will be handed out.

Officials say the meeting is the first of several planned to target various ethnic groups.

"There has been a growing awareness, now that we've got our education going, that there's a potential the message might not be getting to everyone," said Bruce Bottorff, a spokesman for AARP, which is helping sponsor the meeting. "The logical thing is to try to translate the laws into every conceivable language."

Yuk Pang Law, a board member of the Chinese Community Association, which put together the meeting, said she has heard of several non-English speakers getting jaywalking tickets in Chinatown and not understanding what they did wrong.

She also said drivers who don't speak English well are getting ticketed as part of a new campaign to curb pedestrian deaths.

But many don't understand the intricacies of the law, she said, which requires drivers to stop and yield to walkers in their side of the road or approaching closely. Some of the violators are from mainland China, she said, where "people just walk any way they want."

Law also said there is a volatile mix of dangerous crosswalks, plenty of elderly pedestrians and busy traffic in Chinatown.

"If we educate people, then they will know," she said. "I really encourage other ethnic groups to do the same."

Ten pedestrians have been killed so far this year on O'ahu. They ranged in age from 59 to 80. The youngest, Guo Xuan Yang, was a Chinese immigrant killed on Luwiliwili Street in Kalaeloa.

Bottorff said the islandwide effort to educate non-native English speakers on pedestrian safety laws will include passing out pamphlets in various languages and holding meetings in communities. The organization is looking to partner with other groups to translate laws, pass out educational materials and organize meetings.

"It just makes so much sense," Bottorff said, "especially in areas with large populations of non-native English speakers."

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.