Drivers pay attention! There may be a pedestrian

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Blue pedestrian signs will become a familiar sight across the island for Oahu drivers.

Traffic fatalities occur at least once every week and 36% of deaths involve pedestrians on city streets and quiet neighborhoods, according to the Department of Transportation Services. To bring that number to zero, DTS’s Vision Zero campaign installed “Be Prepared to Stop for Pedestrians,” signs at nine major intersections.

“This is all about awareness and education and trying to make our streets safer through getting drivers to look out,” stated Daniel Alexander, DTS Vision Zero Coordinator. “If you see someone trying to cross, you should be stopping… that behavior can make a really big difference in safety.”

The percentages shown on the signs reflect the number of drivers who follow the law by yielding to pedestrians – and that number is headed in the right direction, according to DTS.

“Before we put out the signs that went into this data collection, we found 54% of drivers actually stopped – and across the nine locations, it’s up to 62%,” said Alexander.

Among the intersections showing the greatest improvement are Lunalilo Home Road and Kau-Makani Street, which started from 29% to 60% after signs were installed.

Crews with DTS measure these numbers by conducting stage crossing at each site. Alexander said percentages are added after initiating 80 crossings.

DTS added the initiative aims to keep pedestrian safety at the forefront of all driver’s minds.