COM 0106.024 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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HOW MANY TRAFFIC DEATHS WILL TT TAKE? HAWAII COUNTY PLANNING COMMITTEE APRIL 12, 2005 ALOHA AND THANK YOU FOR TffiS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS OUR CONCERNS ABOUT MORE DEVELOPMENT ALONG QUEEN KA'HAHUMANU HIGHWAY. I WOULD LII~ TO BEGIN WITH SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND END WITH A SUGGESTION. Tf HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE FII2ST RESPONSIBILITY OF GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF TTS CITIZENS. IN THE CASE OF STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT) EVERYTHING ELSE, SUPER FERRIES, AIItPORT RUNWAY EXTENSIONS, BOTH OF WHICH ADD TO OUR TRAFFIC PROBLEMS ARE SECONDARY. HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND OUR POPULATION AND NUMBER OF DRIVERS LICENSES SINCE 1996 HAVE GONE UP 10% AS HAVE MII,ES TRAVELED ON THE BIG ISLAND. VISITORS TO OUR ISLAND HAVE GONE UP 20% FOR AN AVERAGE DAII.Y COUNT OF 22,277. SINCE 1996 DUE TO GRANT FUNDING FROM THE DOT SAFE COMMUNITY GRANTS THE LOCAL POLICE HAVE INCREASED THEIIt DUI AND SPEEDING ENFORCEMENT BY WORKING OVERTIME. THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS EFFORTS BEGAN TO PAY OFF FROM 1999 TO 2002 WITH FEWER FATALITIES YER 10,000 RESIDENTS BUT SINCE THEN THE FATALITIES RATE IN 2003 AND 2004 BEGAN TO INCREASE . THERE IS A LIMTf TO WHAT OUR COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S ENFORCEMENT CAN ACCOMPLISH. THEIIt FIItST RESPONSIBII.TI'Y IS STOPPING CRU1~ AND THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH THEY CAN DO ABOUT TRAFFIC SAFETY ON OVERTIME. IN ADDITION THE COUNTY HAS NO PLANS FOR INCREASING OUR POLICE FORCE, SO WE MUST MOVE TO OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO REDUCE THE FATALITIES ON OUR ROADS. THE FATALITY FIGURES SEEN IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPERS AND ISSUED BY THE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE NOT ACCURATE. THEY DO NOT COUNT TRAFFIC FATALITIES ON PRIVATE SUBDMSION ROADS AND THEY DO NOT COUNT FATALITIES OF PERSONS WHO DIED LATER IN THE HOSPITAL IN OAHU OR THE MAINLAND. FOR THE MOST PART THESE LATER DEATHS ARE TOURISTS .ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IN 2002 THE COUNTY UNDER COUNTED TRAFFIC DEATHS BY 229'0.ONLY THE STATE DOT HAS THE COMPLETE NUMBERS OF TRAFFIC FATALITIES WITH THE CONTRIBUTING CAUSES SUCH AS ALCOHOL, DRUGS, UNSAFE ROADS, LACK OF SEAT BELT USE, ETC. HOWEVER, IF WE USE THE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S FATALITY STATISTICS, WffiCH, MIND YOU, ARE NOT A FULL COUNT, THERE WERE 41 DEATHS IN 2004, 49% OF THESE DEATHS WERE IN CARS THAT CROSSED THE CENTER LINE. OF THOSE HALF INVOLVED SPEEDING BUT HALF OF THOSE WERE USING THEIIt SEAT BELTS. WE DO NOT KNOW IF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS WERE INVOLVED BECAUSE THE TOXICOLOGY TESTS CAN TAKE MONTHS TO DETERMINE. BUT WE DO KNOW FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WHO USES DEATH CERTIFICATES THAT THE FATALITIES ON THE BIG ISLAND IN 2003 WERE THREE AND HALF TIMES GREATER THAN THE FATALITIES ON OAHU PER 10,000 POPULATION AND THE RATIO WENT UP IN 2004 AND WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE RISING IN 2005. Comm. No.~- Ref. To: erese.~.d G Ref. Date