FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bruce Bottorff

May 20, 2014 Tel. 545-6006 / 292-2236 (c)

HAWAII MOST DANGEROUS STATE IN NATION FOR NUMBER OF

PREVENTABLE PEDESTRIAN DEATHS AMONG OLDER RESIDENTS AGE 65+

Hawaii ranks first in the number of pedestrian deaths among older residents age 65+ according to

a national report released today. The report, Dangerous By Design 2014, ranks America’s major

metropolitan areas and states according to a Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) that indicates the

likelihood a person walking the local streets will be hit be a driver of a vehicle and killed.

While Hawaii’s overall PDI is 34.97, which placed it 28th

nationally, the state was ranked most

dangerous in the nation for pedestrians age 65 and older. Adults age 65 and older comprise just

13.7 percent of Hawaii’s population, but accounted for nearly 42 percent of pedestrian fatalities

across the state from 2003-2010. Older adults died at a rate of 6.8 per 100,000 residents in

Hawaii, compared to 1.50 per 100,000 for residents under age 65. For people age 75 and older,

the rate is an astonishing 9.75 per 100,000 capita, compared to a national rate of 3.96.

“This report shows that Hawaii has a long way to go toward creating a safer pedestrian

environment, especially for older residents” said AARP Hawaii Director of Outreach Jackie

Boland. “Given the dangerous mix of vehicles and pedestrians on our roadways, combined with

the rapid aging of our population, we have a responsibility to the public to be both vigilant and

proactive on this issue.”

In the decade from 2003-2012, more than 47,000 people nationwide died while walking on

streets (262 of them in Hawaii).The majority of pedestrian deaths occur on roadways that are

dangerous by design — engineered and operated for speeding traffic with little to no provision

for the safety of people walking, biking or using public transit. According to the report, these

deaths are preventable through policy, design and practice – with local communities, states and

the federal government each playing an important role in making our streets safer.

In recent years both the state of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu have passed

Complete Streets policies requiring state and county transportation departments to accommodate

access and mobility for all users of public roads, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users,

motorists, and people of all abilities.

Meanwhile, federal dollars have been invested in thousands of miles of state and local roads in

the heart of communities. In fact, 68 percent of all pedestrian fatalities nationally over the past

decade occurred on federal-aid roads — roads that follow federal guidelines and are eligible to

receive federal funds.

MORE

AARP strongly endorses passage of the federal Safe Streets Act, which would help ensure that

planners and traffic engineers design, construct, and operate roads with the safety of all users in

mind. The bipartisan legislation calls on the U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as state

and local transportation agencies that use federal funds, to consider the safety of all users when

they build new streets and roads or substantially rebuild existing ones.

Safe mobility options are key to the ability of mid-life and older residents to maintaining their

independence. Fully one-fifth of persons age 65 and above does not drive. Yet almost half of

respondents to a national AARP survey of persons age 50 and above said they cannot safely

cross the main roads in their neighborhoods.

Between 2003 and 2013, 262 people were killed while walking in Hawaii, representing 20.6

percent of the 1,269 traffic-related fatalities in the state during this period.

Dangerous By Design is released by the National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of

Smart Growth America, in conjunction with groups including AARP and the American Society

of Landscape Architects. The report shows the urgent need to make our roadways safer for

pedestrians nationwide.

Link to state reports webpage: www.smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-design/state-statistics

About The National Complete Streets Coalition

The National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America, seeks to

fundamentally transform the look, feel and function of the roads and streets in our community,

by changing the way most roads are planned, designed and constructed. Complete Streets

policies direct transportation planners and engineers to consistently plan and design streets with

all users in mind.

About Smart Growth America

Smart Growth America is the only national organization dedicated to researching, advocating

for and leading coalitions to bring better development to more communities nationwide. From

providing more sidewalks to ensuring more homes are built near public transportation or that

productive farms remain a part of our communities, smart growth helps make sure people across

the nation can live in great neighborhoods.

About AARP Hawaii

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with nearly 150,000 members in Hawaii. AARP

helps people turn goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for

the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security,

retirement planning, affordable utilities and protection from financial abuse. www.aarp.org/hi.

Facebook: /AARP Hawaii

Twitter: @AARPHawaii

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