10-03-2025
Pedestrian deaths more than double from 2024
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Concerns are mounting for pedestrian safety as the number of fatalities for walkers and bikers continue on an upward trend.
The Hawaii Bicycling League stated the number of bicyclists and pedestrians killed on the road has already more than doubled since this time in 2024, when there were six reported deaths and three serious-injury crashes.
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'We've already hit 13 deaths and each of those each of those deaths, it's an aunty, a brother, a sister,' said Eduardo Hernandez, HBL advocacy director. 'It's not acceptable that we can just go on and everybody has a role to play to keep these deaths from happening.'
In 2024, 37 people were killed while walking and six were killed while biking across the state. The number of traffic fatalities were higher than a 20 year average of 27 walkers and four bikers killed, per HBL.
HBL believes speed, carelessness, distractions and impaired driving are primary causes for the upward trend.'A part of it is that there are unsupervised children using bicycles that are not meant for underage children,' said Rep. Darius Kila. 'Drivers aren't used to seeing bicycles move as fast as e-bikes are going.'
At the state capitol, lawmakers and advocacy groups are pushing for safer pedestrian infrastructure and e-bike regulations.
'What we are trying to do is give every county police department all the tools that they need to enforce, regulate and actually put definitions of classifications of what an e-bike is or what an e-bike isn't. It also prohibits certain activities on a roadway and usage. And the bill that I offer also prohibits class three e-bikes from operating on sidewalks,' Kila said.
HBL will lead a delegation to the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C. later this week. It will meet with Hawaii's congressional delegation on safe transportation.
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