HONOLULU (KHON2) -- August is Pedestrian Safety Month, and so far this year it's been a dangerous one on the roadways for walkers. The Hawaii Department of Transportation reported that there have been seven more pedestrian deaths this year compared to the same time last year.
Lance Rae of Walkwise Hawaii joined Take2 with information on how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
"In 2023, we had 22 pedestrian crash fatalities. 14 were male and 8 were female. The oldest was 90 years old and the youngest was 16. Seven of the pedestrians were seniors over the age of 65 representing 32 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. And dusk to dawn hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. have shown to be the deadliest half of the day. 87 percent of pedestrian fatalities occurred during this period,"
Many people think that Walk Wise Hawaii is a non-profit organization but in fact, it is part of the Hawaii State Department of Transportation.
"A lot of people think that because we have a lot of grassroots and private partners that work with us to educate the public on good pedestrian habits and driver awareness of pedestrians," Rae said. "HDOT wouldn’t be able to do this work without the help of all four county police departments, the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, the State’s Safe Routes to School, and the Department of Health, in addition to all of our private industry partners."
This year marks a special year for Pedestrian Safety Month in Hawaii.
"This is Hawaii’s 15th Anniversary for Pedestrian Safety Month. Hawaii was the first state in the nation to have a pedestrian safety month. California followed us a few years later, then in 2020, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration created a national pedestrian safety month every October based on Hawaii’s success. Hawaii celebrates our Ped Safety Month still in August and the national one in October."
Walk Wise Hawaii offers events every day of the month where residents can learn about pedestrian safety and receive a free reflective wristband or pedestrian safety light.
"Yes, as you can see from our Ped Safety Month Calendar we have multiple events every day. For example, every Tuesday we are at senior centers across the state with our partner First Insurance Company of Hawaii educating seniors on good pedestrian habits and each senior gets a free green reflective band. On Thursdays, we have nighttime PETestrian events where our four-legged pedestrians get a chance to teach their owners about being visible when walking along our roadways. We do this in partnership with Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. During the weekends, we are at community street fairs and family events promoting visibility while walking at night,"
In addition to all the events conducted during Pedestrian Safety Month, Walk Wise Hawaii offers presentations for schools, senior groups, and the general public.
"Yes, HDOT has a lot of helpful educational tools for the public to use and our Walk Wise Hawaii program is always available for in-person presentations. Just go to hidot.hawaii.gov/walk-wise-hawaii/ and you’ll be able to download the Walk Wise Hawaii and Drive Wise Hawaii brochures in addition to other pedestrian-focused educational materials. Did you know our Walk Wise Hawaii brochure is available in 12 languages? I always recommend that everyone reach out to me directly at (808) 535-9099 or on Facebook @walkwisehawaii to book a presentation or come volunteer at one of our outreach events."