Hawaii Crash Hot Spots: The Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections

Where Hawaii Traffic Deaths Happen

HDOT counted 128 traffic deaths on Hawaii roads in 2025, up from 102 the year before, and Civil Beat called it the worst year since 2007. Oahu took the hardest hit, with 82 deaths, up from 51 in 2024. People walking and people on motorcycles, mopeds and scooters made up more than half of everyone killed.

2026 has been calmer on Oahu, but not on the Big Island. Through October 2, HDOT’s preliminary 2026 count stood at 70 deaths statewide, against 99 at the same point in 2025, while Hawaii County’s 26 had already passed its total for all of 2025. HDOT’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2025 to 2029 says speeding has contributed to at least 40% of fatal crashes in recent years, and that motorcycles, scooters and mopeds are about 3% of registered vehicles but 35% of related deaths.

Hawaii’s High-Risk Highways, Island by Island

In the five years through 2023, about three in five Hawaii traffic deaths happened on state highways. Here’s what makes the worst of them tricky, with published figures wherever they exist.

1. H-1 Freeway (Interstate H-1): Kapolei to Kahala

H-1 is Oahu’s spine, running from Kapolei through Waipahu, Pearl City and downtown Honolulu to Kahala. The worst squeeze is in Kalihi near Middle Street, where the Moanalua Freeway (H-201) rejoins H-1 and drivers cut across lanes for the airport, downtown and Nimitz exits.

Rear-end and lane-change crashes are the everyday H-1 wreck. Hawaii’s interstates, all on Oahu, averaged 8.2 deaths and 53.2 serious injuries a year in the five years through 2023, according to the Federal Highway Administration. With no state highway patrol, Honolulu police investigate fatal crashes on H-1.

2. Nimitz Highway and Ala Moana Boulevard (Route 92): Pearl Harbor to Waikiki

Route 92 starts as Nimitz Highway at the Pearl Harbor-Hickam gate, runs past the airport, the harbor and Chinatown, and becomes Ala Moana Boulevard at Richards Street, carrying on through Kakaako to Waikiki. It’s wide and fast, with long gaps between signals, which is hard on anyone trying to cross.

Several Ala Moana Boulevard intersections are on Honolulu’s Vision Zero high-injury list, including Kamakee Street, with 3 fatal or serious-injury crashes from 2015 to 2020. At Atkinson Drive, people on foot cross eight lanes. HDOT added an all-red signal phase there in summer 2026 after Civil Beat reported left-turning drivers rolling into the crosswalk.

3. Farrington Highway (Route 93 on the Waianae Coast): Waipahu to Makaha

Through Waipahu, Farrington Highway is a busy commercial street, and as it leaves town on the west side it meets Fort Weaver Road, the main road south to Ewa Beach. Past Kapolei it becomes the only highway in and out of Nanakuli, Waianae and Makaha, with homes, beach parks and schools along a road where people drive highway speeds.

In the city’s Vision Zero data, Farrington from Ala Akau Street to Glenmonger Street had 12 fatal or serious-injury crashes from 2015 to 2020, and the Saint Johns Road and Old Government Road intersections had 8 and 6. Closer to Kapolei, HDOT has been adding median barriers and shoulder rumble strips between Nanakuli Avenue and the Kalaeloa interchange to cut head-on crashes. The first target was December 2025, and in its last posted update, at the end of 2025, HDOT moved the estimated finish to May 2026.

4. Likelike and Kamehameha Highways: Kaneohe

Likelike Highway climbs out of Kalihi, goes through the Wilson Tunnel and drops into Kaneohe, where it ends at Kahekili and Kamehameha highways. Drivers coming down are still carrying downhill speed when they reach Kaneohe’s signals, and side-impact and rear-end crashes follow.

Windward rain makes it worse. Nearby, Kamehameha Highway at Kahuhipa Street is on Honolulu’s high-injury list, with 2 fatal or serious-injury crashes among 6 counted from 2015 to 2020.

5. Honoapiilani and Kahekili Highways (Routes 30 and 340): The West Maui Loop

Honoapiilani Highway is how West Maui reaches the rest of the island, running from Wailuku past Maalaea into Lahaina and up to Kapalua. Long two-lane stretches and visitors watching the ocean make a bad mix, and there’s no detour when a crash closes it. HDOT plans to move about 6 miles of it inland, from near Papalaua Wayside Park to the Lahaina bypass, mainly because of coastal erosion, with construction expected to begin in 2028.

Past Kapalua the loop continues as Kahekili Highway, the slow way back to Wailuku. Around Kahakuloa it shrinks to a single lane in places, with blind curves and steep drops. Drive it in daylight and pull over to let locals pass.

6. Piilani Highway (Route 31) and Kaahumanu Avenue: South and Central Maui

Piilani Highway is the fast way through Kihei to Wailea, and turning traffic, merges and people crossing on foot are the trouble spots. HDOT cut the limit to 35 mph between Uwapo Road and Lipoa Street in 2021, and in 2026 it added raised crosswalks at the Kulanihakoi Street roundabout.

In Kahului, Kaahumanu Avenue (Route 32) ties the shopping centers to Wailuku, and its junction with Puunene Avenue mixes left turns across several lanes with people walking to bus stops. Maui County recorded 18 traffic deaths in 2025, up from 14 the year before, HDOT says.

7. Queen Kaahumanu Highway and Hawaii Belt Road (Routes 19 and 11): Kona, Kau and Hilo

Hawaii Island’s main loop is two highways. Route 19 runs as Queen Kaahumanu Highway from Kailua-Kona up the Kohala Coast, then through Waimea and along the Hamakua Coast to Hilo, and Route 11 heads south from Hilo through Volcano and Kau and back up to Kona. Long rural stretches with few places to pass make head-on and run-off-road crashes the big risk.

In Kailua-Kona, the Palani Road junction is where highway traffic runs into town traffic, and left turns there lead to side-impact crashes. Hawaii County’s traffic deaths fell from 29 in 2024 to 20 in 2025, but by early October 2026 HDOT had already counted 26.

8. Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Saddle Road, Route 200): Hilo to the West Side

The rebuilt Saddle Road crosses between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, the quickest way between Hilo and the Kona side, and it’s tempting to speed on. Rain, fog and standing water on the Hilo-side curves catch drivers who passed on the straightaways.

Between mile posts 5.5 and 28, HDOT counted 10 fatal crashes that killed 13 people from 2021 to June 4, 2026, and in June 2026 it declared that stretch a traffic emergency zone. It has closed passing zones and added curbs and delineators, and crews have been laying a friction surface to cut hydroplaning between mile posts 10 and 22.5, with HDOT targeting October 2026 to finish the paving and striping. HDOT also plans speed cameras that send warnings to drivers more than 11 mph over the limit.

9. Kuhio Highway (Routes 56 and 560): Lihue to Hanalei

Kuhio Highway is Kauai’s north-south lifeline, running from Lihue through Wailua and Kapaa, past Kilauea and Princeville and into Hanalei. Through Kapaa it’s often bumper to bumper, and past Princeville it narrows and winds, with one-lane bridges where you wait your turn.

Kauai had 8 traffic deaths in both 2024 and 2025, by HDOT’s count. In Hanalei town, HDOT scheduled three raised crosswalks on Kuhio Highway for July 2026, including one fronting Hanalei Elementary School, to remind drivers of the 25 mph limit.

More High-Crash Locations Across Hawaii

Honolulu’s Oahu Vision Zero Action Plan, adopted in January 2025, lists high-injury corridors and intersections on state and city roads (not interstates) using Honolulu police major crash reports from 2015 to 2020. Its figures count crashes, not people: total crashes at each spot, and how many of those were fatal or serious-injury crashes. HDOT adds newer figures for the Neighbor Islands.

Some of these streets are getting work. Honolulu’s Complete Streets office has a federally funded Honolulu Safer Streets effort for seven urban core corridors, including South King Street and Piikoi Street, running from late 2025 through 2027. Older fixes have paid off: FHWA reports that deaths and serious injuries at the Pahoa Village roundabout on Keaau-Pahoa Road fell from 7 in the three years before it to none in the three years after.

How to Stay Safe on Hawaii’s Most Dangerous Roads

None of this means staying off these roads. It means driving them knowing where the trouble is.

For Drivers:

1. Slow down on open highways: HDOT ties speeding to at least 40% of fatal crashes. Saddle Road, Queen Kaahumanu Highway and Piilani Highway all invite more speed than they can handle.
2. Don’t pass on blind curves: On Saddle Road, Route 11 and Kahekili Highway, wait for a marked passing zone or a turnout.
3. Look twice for motorcycles and mopeds: HDOT counted 38 motorcycle, moped, scooter and ATV riders among the state’s traffic deaths in 2025. Check your blind spot before changing lanes on H-1 and Nimitz.
4. Put the phone away in town: On King Street or Kaahumanu Avenue, one glance down can mean missing someone in the crosswalk.
5. Drive for the rain: Windward Oahu, Hilo and the Hamakua Coast get sudden downpours. Slow down and leave extra room on wet curves.

For Pedestrians:

1. Cross at signals: On wide roads like Nimitz Highway, Ala Moana Boulevard and Farrington Highway, crossing mid-block leaves drivers almost no time to react.
2. Be seen after dark: Wear something light or reflective, or carry a flashlight, especially where there are no streetlights.
3. Watch turning cars: A walk signal doesn’t mean a driver has seen you. Wait until the car has fully stopped.

For Cyclists:

1. Use bike lanes where they exist: Where there aren’t any, stay as far right as is safe.
2. Be easy to see: Wear bright colors, run lights day and night, and use hand signals.
3. Expect visitors behind the wheel: On Kuhio and Honoapiilani highways, drivers may be lost or stop suddenly for the view.

General Tips:

1. Know there’s often one way in: Farrington and Honoapiilani highways are the only roads in and out of their coasts, and a crash can close them for hours.
2. Check conditions first: Look up closures and weather before crossing Saddle Road, where fog and rain move in fast.
3. Stay on top of alerts: HDOT’s traffic updates or a navigation app will show crashes and closures as they happen.

What to Do If You’re Injured in a Hawaii Car Accident

A bad crash on H-1, Farrington Highway or Saddle Road can leave you hurt and unsure what to do first. The first hours and days matter, for your health and your wallet.

1. Call 911. Even if nobody seems badly hurt, get police to the scene. They’ll write the official crash report, which is what insurers go by.
2. Get checked out. Concussions and internal injuries don’t always show up right away. Go to the ER or urgent care, and follow up with your own doctor.
3. Document the scene if you can. If it’s safe, photograph the vehicles, damage, plates and road conditions. Get witnesses’ names and phone numbers, and swap insurance information without admitting fault.
4. Be careful with adjusters. The other driver’s insurer may call soon after. You can politely decline a recorded statement until you have your crash report and understand your options.
5. Keep everything. Medical records, bills, repair estimates, missed work, and every letter or email from an insurer.

Hawaii has no highway patrol, so the county police department on the island where you crashed takes the report, even on H-1 or a state highway: Honolulu police on Oahu, Hawaii police on the Big Island, and Maui and Kauai police on theirs. State Department of Law Enforcement deputies have started adding traffic enforcement, but they support the county police rather than replace them. Our Hawaii crash report guide walks through getting a copy from each.

Don’t know which department took your report, or would rather skip the paperwork? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.

Hawaii Crash Hot Spot Questions

More Hawaii Crash Guides

County accident news: Honolulu County · Maui County · Hawaii County · Kauai County

For the latest, crashes from around the islands are posted in Hawaii accident news and our recent accident alerts.