Latest news with #Slayter
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Horrific year on Oahu's roads as ‘100 deadliest days of summer' begin
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Honolulu Police are urging drivers to be extra careful heading into summer. With school out and more cars on the road, we are officially in the '100 deadliest days of summer,' a period that spans from Memorial Day to Labor Day. HPD emphasizes driver safety as traffic deaths rise 'The thing that we've seen a higher number in recently is pedestrian fatalities and motorcycle riders. The motorcycle riders that we're seeing, a lot of them are speed related. Also, they're not wearing helmets. We all know that helmets save lives,' said Major James Slayter of HPD's Traffic Enforcement Division. HPD said this year, Oahu has already seen 30 traffic fatalities compared to 12 during this time in 2024. Eleven of those have been pedestrians and seven have been motorcyclists.'It's extremely sad,' Slayter said. 'We look at these as numbers. They're statistics, but these are people. Right? These are our community members, whether they're family, friends, coworkers.' Slayter said that speeding gives you less time to avoid hazards and hazardous drivers. 'You always wanna be predictable as a rider as well, not zoom in in and out of traffic,' he added. As for pedestrians, Slayter says that HPD has found that a lot of the victims have been walking in the roadway. Check out more news from around Hawaii 'We actually had one individual lying in the roadway, and we have a lot of them crossing outside of marked crosswalks or against the red signal. So, again, everybody wants to be predictable as a pedestrian as well.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Excessive speeding bill gives mandatory jail time, possible forfeiture of vehicle for repeat offenders
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Our roads are not a racetrack. That's the message from Honolulu police as they say they're catching more drivers going well above the speed limit. Lawmakers are pushing a bill that'll try to help the problem. Police say they've heard every excuse in the book when they stop people for speeding. Former Rep. Gene Ward passes away at 82 'I've heard everything from, I really had to use the bathroom to I was late, I know some of the interesting ones where I just tuned my car and I was trying it out,' said Maj. James Slayter of the Honolulu Police Deptartment Traffic Division. 'You know, they come up with some interesting ones, but ultimately there is no excuse.' Last weekend, Honolulu police arrested several drivers going over 100 miles per hour. The fastest was 152. 'So as a community, we got to come together and try to figure out how to stop this,' Slayter said. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news They might be getting some help soon. A bill is moving through the legislature that would make mandatory jail time and possible forfeiture of the vehicle if caught for excessive speeding three times in five years. 'And hopefully, that sends a message to these folks who are violating the law, that, hey, this is not acceptable, this is unsafe and this is very dangerous,' said Sen. Brandon Elefante, the Public Safety Committee chair. Excessive speeding is anything 30 miles over the posted speed limit or going faster than 80 miles per hour anywhere.'I think we constantly are feeling it throughout Oahu specifically, that one person's actions has consequences upon everyone,' said Rep. Darius Kila, the Transportation Committee chair. 'You look at the incident that occurred in Nanakuli just a couple days ago that one vehicular traffic accident, you stalled Farrington Highway for four hours.' The bill originally called for the third excessive speeding offense to be a Class C felony, which has been kept a misdemeanor for now. Honolulu Police say they've actually doubled the amount of solo bike officers on their nighttime enforcement patrols to help catch excessive speeders. They say they will continue to do so to help stop this problem. Police say last weekend's arrests came thanks to a tip from the public. They ask if you see anyone racing, call 911. 'Getting a citation, getting arrested, that might be the best thing that could have happened to you for that night,' Slayter said. 'Because the alternative, you could get seriously injured. You could die. You could kill somebody else and spend the rest of your life in jail.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Cracking down on e-bikes
HONOLULU(KHON2) — Honolulu police are cracking down on e-bike violations as officials continue to push for stricter laws. The head of HPD's traffic division explained the difference between an E-bike and out-of-class motorbikes that are not street-legal. Juveniles riding out-of-class motorized bikes and e-bikes continue to be a problem according to Kailua resident Ha'eha'e Kahana. HPD enforces e-bike regulations, Kailua riders cited 'I've seen many e-bike riders around here. Helmets, no helmets, about 90% without helmets,' Kahana added. 'I've seen them do a lot of wheelies. Yeah, I've seen them almost get hit by a lot of cars.' A resident named Tracy said she lives on Keolu Drive and sees kids riding electric bikes three and four times a day. 'They're in the middle of the road and they're going pretty fast,' she said. 'And I worry, I mean, even if that's not my kid, I don't know if they know what it would feel like if one of their friends got hurt. So is that what it's gonna take for them to stop doing that? I don't know.' According to HPD, several juveniles were cited next to Keolu Skate Park, after they were seen popping wheelies on the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to jump out of their way. HPD Maj. James Slayter, head of the traffic division, said the fact that most people don't know the difference between an e-bike and other motorized bikes is a big problem.'Because of that confusion, they feel like, Oh, you're, you know, unfairly picking on children writing these things,' Slayter explained. 'But really, we're not even out to arrest. We're not even really out to cite. We're out to educate because we don't want another critical or fatal collision involving an E-bike or an out-of-class device.' He said there is one clear way to identify an e-bike. 'They have pedals where you could actually make the bike move without any motor,' he explained. And he said their max speed is 20 to 28 miles per hour. According to Slayter, other motorized out-of-class bikes have foot-pegs, go much faster and look more like a dirt bike or motorcycle. He said those require a type 2 driver's license, insurance, and several other things to make them street-legal. He is urging parents will do more research before buying their child an E-bike and to teach them traffic safety. 'Making sure that they understand, stay away from the vehicles as much as possible. Don't do anything that's reckless or unsafe,' Slayter said. Check out more news from around Hawaii He added that helmets are now required on Oahu for anyone riding an E-bike under the age of 18. The City Council also passed a bill prohibiting wheelies or stunts on public roads Wednesday afternoon. That now heads to the mayor for his signature. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
