Hawaii: The Islands of Driver Negligence

Kane Ruiz

Hawaii: The Islands of Driver Negligence

Hawaii is viewed by many as a perfect island, where residents are satisfied and in bliss. With our sunsets, infinite beach areas, and delicious local food, it’s no surprise to see why Hawaii is a tourist hotspot. While we can celebrate the wondrous features of Hawaii, tourists are often unaware, or choose to ignore, some harsh realities that residents have grown accustomed to.

With little land mass but massive populations, Hawaii’s roads can be a breeding ground for automobile accidents. According to Star Advertiser, traffic fatalities increased by 18% just halfway through 2019, a large majority taking place in Oahu, the most populated island. Having been a resident in Hawaii for over a decade, I’ve observed my fair share of poor driving and driver negligence: drivers eating, putting on makeup, texting while driving, children sitting in truck’s backside, and even driving on the completely wrong side of the road. A huge chunk of driver, and even pedestrian unawareness, comes from tourists.

Driver safety is a universal thing, however how driving habits are handled can vary from state to state, or even city to city. When tourists come to visit, there are expectations that the roads will be the same as they are in the mainland states; which is why I believe that there should be more direct education when it comes to driver etiquette. Like the rest of the United States, Hawaii schools do have Driver’s Education offered in high school, and courses outside of schools are also assessable to those who wish to take them. Driver’s Education is promoted mostly to teenagers looking to get their driver’s license or learner’s permit in order to go out more often without worrying for a ride. Promotion for driver’s education should go beyond just the teen demographic.

Driver’s safety and education is targeted to primarily teens, however I believe that they should also be geared to adults; in my everyday life I observe more careless driving with my mom, who has been driving for 20+ years, than with my adolescent peer, who has been driving for only one year. The reason for this? Adults, after driving for so long, get confident and too cocky with their driving skills, convincing themselves that they don’t need to be as aware because they’ve been driving for so long. While new drivers, usually teens, are hyper alert in order to not even make a scratch on a car or have their tire a centimeter over a line. Broadening education to go beyond just teen audiences can help plant even a small reminder to adults who have been driving for decades. Having this education be easy to access to anyone, of different age ranges and driving experiences, can assist in paving the way for safer roads.

It goes without saying that driver education is important, having it teach us the importance of both technical and habitual things. For example, on the technical side: driver education teaches us about how to properly parallel park, what different symbols in cars mean, and the difference between yellow and white road lines. On the habitual side, which is just as important to remember but is more ignored in society, driver education reminds us of the deadly dangers of distracted and careless driving. Such as texting, calling, drinking, and lack of seatbelt. These dangerous habits to have during driving, are often dismissed by drivers since people have the selfish mindset of “It’s okay if I do it, because nothing bad will happen if I do it.” Or on another mindset, they get overconfident in their abilities by thinking “It’s okay if I do it, because I’m a really good driver.” We tend to forget, or we subconsciously ignore, that the roads can be full of unpredictable factors.

Driver education will help us be more aware and look out for those factors. Even having a small reminder can pop back into our heads as we drive on the roads. Perhaps when we spot someone on their phone, we’ll become more alert; or we’ll spot a running kid on the road and hit the brakes seconds before we hit them. We can’t predict everything we encounter on the road, but promotion of positive driving habits will have people of various age ranges more conscious of their impact, big and small, that they can have on other drivers and pedestrians. They’ll let their phone ring, or they’ll get an Uber to get back home safely after drinking.

Being a better and safer driver is important everywhere, but I highlighted Hawaii, and the tourists who come here, because this is my home. I’ve had a peer lose her life in a pedestrian-car accident, with her as the pedestrian; For her, and the countless others whose lives have been taken away by reckless driving, I strive to promote healthy habits in driving in Hawaii.