HCR136 HD1

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	136
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

URGING THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU TO ENCOURAGE PEDESTRIANS TO WEAR REFLECTIVE GEAR BETWEEN THE HOURS OF DUSK AND DAWN.

WHEREAS, Oahu is seeing a rise in motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians; and

WHEREAS, in 2024, the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services Department responded to over one hundred thirty pedestrian cases, representing a thirteen per cent increase from 2023; and

WHEREAS, streets and roadways are particularly dangerous between dusk and dawn due to the reduced visibility; and

WHEREAS, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association report, in 2022, approximately two hundred seventy fatal pedestrian crashes occurred during dawn or dusk; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation finds that wearing reflective material that is visible from both the front and back is the most effective way to increase conspicuity and improve safety; and

WHEREAS, reflective gear makes pedestrians noticeable to drivers under reduced visibility conditions between dusk and dawn, increasing the time to react and avoid accidents; and

WHEREAS, military bases on the island of Oahu have already adopted regulations that require everyone to wear reflective gear whenever outside walking or running during the hours of darkness, referring to the period between evening colors and morning colors; and

WHEREAS, in a township in the state of Ohio, it is considered a minor misdemeanor for an individual to walk or run in any public street or highway from dusk to dawn without adequate reflective clothing; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, the Senate concurring, that the City and County of Honolulu is urged to encourage pedestrians to wear reflective gear between the hours of dusk and dawn; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City and County of Honolulu and Department of Transportation are urged to work collaboratively to identify and clearly designate areas of high risk to pedestrian safety and erect signage warning drivers of the presence of pedestrians and encouraging pedestrians to wear reflective gear between dusk and dawn; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City and County of Honolulu and Department of Transportation are urged to create and implement a public education campaign pertaining to pedestrian safety and any ordinances that are adopted as a result of this measure; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Chairperson of the Honolulu City Council, and Director of the Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu.