88 CRASHES IN
HAWAII
2023

The peak day for fatal crashes shifted from Saturday in the prior period (22 crashes) to Sunday in the current period (21 crashes). The peak hour also changed, with the prior period experiencing a peak at 9 PM (9 crashes), while the current period's peak occurred at 7 PM (10 crashes). Overall, there was a reduction in crash counts across most days of the week, with Saturday seeing a notable decrease from 22 to 13 fatal crashes.

Fatal crashes under clear weather conditions decreased from 80 in the prior period to 70 in the current period, while cloudy conditions saw a decrease from 20 to 9 crashes. Fatal crashes during daylight hours decreased from 46 to 22, whereas crashes in 'Dark - Lighted' conditions remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 36 to 37. The 'roadSurface' data was not available for comparison in either period.

Toyota remained the top vehicle make involved in fatal crashes, though its count decreased from 43 in the prior period to 16 in the current period. Honda also saw a decrease from 28 to 14, while Nissan/Datsun increased its ranking to joint second with Honda, with 14 vehicles compared to 7 previously. Overall, the total number of vehicles involved in fatal crashes decreased from 165 to 117.

Fatal crashes in 35 mph zones decreased from 34 in the prior period to 25 in the current period, and those in 25 mph zones decreased from 23 to 21. Fatal crashes in 45 mph zones also saw a reduction from 19 to 14. The distribution of fatal crashes across speed limit zones generally showed a decrease across most categories, with no significant shift towards higher or lower speed zones as a proportion of total crashes.

The dominant manner of fatal collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport', accounting for 69 crashes (78.4%) in the current period and 72 crashes (64.9%) in the prior period. Angle collisions decreased from 19 crashes (17.1%) to 11 crashes (12.5%) year-over-year. Front-to-Front collisions also decreased from 9 crashes (8.1%) to 2 crashes (2.3%).

Light Pickups remained the most common vehicle body type in fatal crashes, though their count decreased from 43 in the prior period to 27 in the current period. Two Wheel Motorcycles saw a slight decrease from 24 to 22. Compact Utility vehicles also decreased from 28 to 16, while 4-door sedans decreased from 25 to 16, indicating a general reduction across dominant vehicle types.

Fatal crashes in urban areas decreased from 98 in the prior period to 80 in the current period, while rural fatal crashes decreased from 12 to 7. The proportion of urban fatal crashes remains dominant, accounting for 80 of 88 crashes in the current period. The share of rural fatal crashes decreased from approximately 10.8% to 8.0% of all fatal crashes.

The 'Principal Arterial' category (including 'Other Principal Arterial' and 'Principal Arterial - Other Freeways and Expressway') saw a decrease in fatal crashes from 63 in the prior period to 43 in the current period. Fatal crashes on 'Minor Arterial' roads increased slightly from 27 to 33. Interstate fatal crashes increased from 4 to 11, indicating a shift towards more fatal crashes on these higher-speed roadways.

State Highway Agencies continue to own the roadways with the most fatal crashes, though their count decreased from 75 in the prior period to 54 in the current period. County Highway Agencies also saw a decrease in fatal crashes on their roads, from 34 to 32. This indicates that State-owned roads continue to account for the majority of fatal crashes, despite an overall reduction.

The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes decreased from 165 in the prior period to 117 in the current period. Passengers also saw a reduction from 75 to 36. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes decreased from 30 to 23, while bicyclists increased slightly from 7 to 8. Drivers remain the dominant person type involved in these fatal incidents.

The number of fatal injuries (K) decreased from 116 in the prior period to 93 in the current period. Serious injuries (A) also saw a significant reduction, from 32 to 9. Minor injuries (B) decreased from 29 to 5, and unspecified injuries (U) decreased from 10 to 5, indicating an overall reduction in all categories of injury severity.

The number of persons using 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' decreased from 107 in the prior period to 64 in the current period. Similarly, the count of persons with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment decreased from 76 to 54. Despite the reduction in absolute numbers, the proportion of 'None Used/Not Applicable' remains a significant concern, accounting for 54 out of 122 persons with reported safety equipment in the current period.

The '12 Clock Point' (front impact) remained the most common point of impact in fatal crashes, though its count decreased from 101 in the prior period to 68 in the current period. 'Right-Front Side' impacts decreased from 17 to 12. '6 Clock Point' (rear impact) also decreased from 10 to 8, indicating a general reduction across common impact areas.

The number of single-vehicle fatal crashes remained stable, with 64 in the prior period and 65 in the current period. Two-vehicle fatal crashes saw a decrease from 35 to 16. Multi-vehicle crashes involving three vehicles decreased from 9 to 5, indicating a reduction in fatal incidents involving multiple vehicles.