{"id":181,"date":"2026-05-20T10:40:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=181"},"modified":"2026-05-20T10:40:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:40:26","slug":"alameda-asks-state-for-help-in-wake-of-recent-traffic-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=181","title":{"rendered":"Alameda asks state for help in wake of recent traffic deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mayor Kimo Alameda on Monday sent a letter to Gov. Josh Green requesting assistance from the state to improve traffic safety on Hawaii Island.<\/p>\n

Read more Eric Lauer gets \u2018fresh start\u2019 with the Dodgers, who suddenly need starting depth<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mayor Kimo Alameda on Monday sent a letter to Gov. Josh Green requesting assistance from the state to improve traffic safety on Hawaii Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a public safety emergency for our community,\u201d Alameda said Tuesday in a statement. \u201cWe are asking the state to work with the county on urgent messaging, enforcement, engineering and education strategies to prevent more lives from being lost on Saddle Road and other highways.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As of Tuesday, there had been 13 traffic fatalities in 2026 on Hawaii Island roads, including eight in the past two weeks. That includes two recent double-fatalities on Daniel K. Inouye Highway, also known as Saddle Road.<\/p>\n

In his letter to Green, Alameda said his motivation for writing it is his \u201cdeep concern about the recent surge in traffic fatalities on Daniel K. Inouye Highway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe frequency and severity of these crashes compel urgent action to prevent further loss of life,\u201d the mayor wrote.<\/p>\n

Alameda\u2019s letter to Green referred to \u201cthe tragic loss of our mutual friend,\u201d Dr. Judith Fitzgerald, an emergency room physician at Hilo Benioff Medical Center who was killed in a head-on collision on the DKI Highway last Christmas Eve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recently convened a meeting with our police chief, fire chief and several county leaders to identify practical near-term and longer-term safety measures,\u201d Alameda wrote.<\/p>\n

Alameda requested the state assist with: installation of solar-powered radar signs to encourage speed compliance; posting of signage near known crash hot spots to discourage risky passing maneuvers; inspections, and if necessary, repairs to drainage and pavement conditions at mile markers 13-16 and 44-47 on DKI Highway to reduce the risk of hydroplaning; addition of signs encouraging slower vehicles to keep to the right lane and marked turnouts for slower vehicles; and installation of rumble strips and reflective delineators in high-risk stretches of the highway until permanent improvements can be made.<\/em><\/p>\n

The most recent double-fatal on DKI Highway, which occurred Friday afternoon, killed 29-year-old Troy Rasse of Pahoa and 24-year-old Jadelyn Cariaga of Hilo, who were described in social media as a couple recently engaged to be married.<\/p>\n

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Rasse and Cariaga died when the driver of the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck they were passengers in lost control while negotiating a curve on the wet highway near the 13-mile marker, crossed the centerline, and collided head-on with a Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck towing a trailer carrying a mini-excavator.<\/p>\n

There were two more fatal traffic incidents Friday and Monday. <\/p>\n

On Friday night, a male pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run on Highway 130 near Orchidland Drive in Puna. The victim, whom police say was struck by multiple vehicles, hasn\u2019t yet been publicly identified.<\/p>\n

And a motorcycle rider, identified as 58-year-old Max Mattos of Kurtistown, lost his life Monday afternoon after reportedly crashing into a Tesla SUV at a high rate of speed on 12th Avenue in Hawaiian Paradise Park.<\/p>\n

The concern over the uptick in traffic deaths also motivated Alameda, Police Chief Reed Mahuna, Temporary Fire Chief Daniel Volpe and Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen to appear in a 60-second public service video urging motorists to \u201cdrive safe and make it home.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the video, Mahuna said that most head-on collisions occur \u201cbecause someone is rushing, trying to overtake when it is not safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOncoming traffic, blind curves, wet roads \u2014 that split second isn\u2019t worth a life,\u201d Mahuna said.<\/p>\n

Calling the recent traffic deaths \u201cdevastating, unnecessarily devastating,\u201d Deputy Police Chief Sherry Bird said the department is \u201cdefinitely stepping up enforcement, being proactive, being visible\u201d \u2014 including impaired-driving roadblocks \u2014 for the upcoming three-day Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t like to respond to these traffic fatalities. We don\u2019t need any more of them,\u201d Bird said. \u201cWe\u2019re pleading with everyone to be responsible, to drive responsibly. If you\u2019re going to drink, please have a designated driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Three killed Friday in two traffic collisions<\/a><\/p>\n

Email John Burnett at john.burnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alameda asks state for help in wake of recent traffic deaths – Hawaii News | Hawaii Tribune-Herald<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAlameda asks state for help in wake of recent traffic deaths - Moving to Hawaii Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=181\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alameda asks state for help in wake of recent traffic deaths - Moving to Hawaii Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alameda asks state for help in wake of recent traffic deaths - 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