2025 was Hawaiʻi's deadliest year on the roads in nearly two decades, with 128 people killed statewide.
Nationally, road deaths went down in the last year. So why is Hawaiʻi bucking the trend?
HPR contributor Yunji de Neis recently spoke to Ed Sniffen, director of the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, about what went wrong and what’s being done to address the issue.
"When we start looking at the numbers, over 70%, nearly 90 people who died, were our most vulnerable, our pedestrians, our bicyclists, and motorcycle riders," Sniffen said.
"Over 90% of those fatal crashes were caused by bad behavior — either speeding, excessive speeding, drunk driving, or people not wearing their seat belts or wearing their safety gear. All things that are absolutely preventable."
Sniffen stressed that traffic safety is also an accountability issue.
"We need to hold people accountable for their actions before the fatalities occur, which is why enforcement is going to be a big thing for us," he said.
"We're putting in more safety bills this year to start really cracking down on enforcement, make sure that we can get people to stop excessive speeding, stop driving drunk, and make sure that they're walking in areas where they should."
He encouraged people to stay consistent, whether they're on the road or crossing it.
This story aired on The Conversation on Jan. 13, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
