ADMINISTRATION PRESENTS HIGHWAY SAFETY PLAN

Aug 29 - To combat traffic fatalities across Hawai`i, the Administration rolled out the state's strategic plan aimed at making Hawai`i highways safer.

Lt. Governor Aiona joined officials from the state Department of Transportation at a summit to unveil the statewide strategy for curbing such hazards as aggressive driving.

The safety strategy reflects the work of representatives from more than 150 agencies and organizations across the state.

"We had one goal: to make Hawai`i's roadways safer for all users, and reduce the number of senseless, often preventable, deaths and injuries on our roadways," Lt. Governor Aiona said.

Traffic fatalities rose 15 percent from 2005 to 2006, reaching 161.

Of those fatalities, 32, or 19 percent, were pedestrians, Lt. Governor Aiona said.

To complicate matters, alcohol was involved in nearly half of fatal crashes last year. "These statistics are a grim reminder of why this plan is so important," Lt. Governor Aiona said. "This plan will make it possible for more people to return home safely to their families and loved ones.