Police Urge Public To Drive Safely as Speeding and Reckless Driving Continue to Endanger Lives

The Hawai‘i Police Department is urging all motorists to drive responsibly following a recent increase in reports and incidents involving reckless and dangerous driving on our roadways. Officers have observed a rise in behaviors such as excessive speeding, illegal passing, and tailgating, all of which pose a serious threat to public safety. These actions endanger not only the drivers involved but also passengers, pedestrians, and other innocent road users.

Year-to-date statistics for 2025 indicate that excessive speed remains one of the leading factors contributing to traffic crashes, serious injuries, and fatalities on our island roadways.

As of October 2025, officers have issued over 9,200 speeding citations, compared to 9,088 citations issued in all of 2024. Despite ongoing enforcement efforts, Hawai‘i Island police continue to see alarming numbers of drivers operating at dangerous and unlawful speeds.

• Excessive Speeding (30 mph over the posted limit): 447 citations issued (compared to 512 in 2024)
• Excessive Speeding (81 mph and above): 511 citations issued (compared to 548 in 2024)
• Excessive Speeds Over 100 mph: 63 total incidents involving citations or criminal arrests
• Reckless Driving: 112 citations issued in 2025 (compared to 153 in 2024)

Indeed, the day after last week’s tragic fatal collision on Daniel K. Inouye (DKI) Highway that claimed the life of a 47-year-old Kona woman and a three-week-old infant, police cited or arrested seven drivers for excessive speeding on DKI Highway. Alarmingly, one of the motorists arrested was driving more than 100 mph and another motorist arrested was driving more than 81 mph and driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Preliminary investigation of last week’s fatal vehicle crash suggests that the vehicle believed to have caused the crash was traveling at a very high rate of speed, passing unsafely, and driving while impaired.

A significant majority of excessive speed citations and arrests this year have occurred along the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, underscoring the ongoing danger associated with speeding and reckless behavior on this roadway.

Police also caution motorists against illegally driving on the shoulder to pass vehicles, noting it is a $97 moving violation. If a motorist is caught speeding while driving illegally on a shoulder, they could also face arrest for reckless driving.

With more than 2,433 miles of road on Hawai‘i Island, Interim Chief Reed Mahuna is urging all motorists to slow down and drive with aloha.

“We will be out on the roadways doing our part to enforce the traffic laws,” said Mahuna. “We would rather have the community join with us and do their part to drive with aloha and care for one another out on our roadways.”

Officers will continue to conduct high-visibility speed enforcement operations, particularly along known high-risk corridors, to protect the lives of all roadway users.

The public is invited to attend a “Healing Our Highways” Traffic Safety Vigil and Remembrance Event in West Hawai‘i on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 7 to 11 a.m. The event will feature simultaneous sign-waving campaigns along Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway from 8 to 9 a.m., followed by a speaking ceremony from 10 to 11 a.m. at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center in Kailua-Kona, where Interim Police Chief Reed Mahuna and representatives from community and state partner organizations will address attendees.