Following another deadly crash on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, the Hawaii Police Department announced it is “significantly increasing selective enforcement operations” in the area and state transportation officials plan to declare a traffic emergency zone for a large stretch of the highway.
Officers will maintain a heightened enforcement presence focused on identifying and addressing hazardous violations — including speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving and seat belt violations, Hawaii police said Thursday after the latest fatal crash.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation said today that they will declare a traffic emergency zone on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, also known as Saddle Road, between mile posts 5.5 and 28.
The declaration allows transportation officials “to accelerate procurement and permitting for additional engineering mitigations,” according to a news release. Those mitigations will include speed cameras, DOT said.
State transportation crews have conducted sight-distance studies, closed multiple passing zones between mile posts 8.3 to 27.25, posted electronic signs with safety messaging and recently installed thermoplastic curbs and delineators between mile posts 16.7 and 19, DOT officials said.
From Jan. 1 through Thursday, there have been three fatal crashes on the highway, resulting in five deaths, compared with no fatal crashes on the highway during the same period last year.
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The latest fatality occurred Thursday at about 8:34 a.m. near the 18-mile marker.
According to police, the driver of a westbound 2003 Toyota 4-Runner lost control while negotiating a curve. The Toyota hydroplaned into a lane of oncoming traffic and was subsequently broadsided by a 2024 Ford F450 dump truck.
The collision caused major damage to both vehicles, and the Toyota caught on fire as a result of the crash.
The driver of the Toyota was trapped within the vehicle and unresponsive when responding personnel arrived, police said. Fire personnel extinguished the fire, and the driver was taken by ambulance to Hilo Benioff Medical Center and pronounced dead at 11:30 a.m.
The identity of the victim was being withheld pending positive identification and notification of next-of-kin.
The driver of the Ford, a 53-year-old Kailua-Kona man, also was taken to HBMC and treated for minor injuries.
Police do not believe speed or intoxication are factors in this crash. However, weather may have played a role in the collision.
Police closed the road for about four-and-a-half hours between Kaumana Drive in the east and Old Saddle Road/Waikii Road in the west to investigate the crash and clear the wreckage.
There also were two double-fatal crashes on the highway — the island’s main east-west traffic artery — during a 10-day stretch last month.
Two drivers died May 5 in a head-on collision near the 26-mile marker of the highway.
According to police, an eastbound 2011 Toyota Corolla four-door sedan driven by 70-year-old Todd Matushita of Hilo was passing a vehicle when it struck a westbound 2016 Hyundai Tucson SUV driven by 34-year-old Zachary Winston of Newport News, Va.
Both men died of injuries sustained in the crash, and police said speed and reckless driving were thought to be factors.
On May 15, 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 — were killed in a two-vehicle crash.
According to police, 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.
Weather conditions are believed to have been a contributing factor in the crash, police said.
In the first 155 days of 2026, officers conducted 162 selective enforcement operations along the highway and contacted 1,256 drivers in an effort to improve roadway safety and reduce hazardous driving, according to Hawaii police.
“Reckless and dangerous driving behaviors place everyone on our roadways at risk,” Torey Keltner, program manager of the Hawaii Police Department’s Traffic Services Section, said in a news release. “Our officers will continue proactive enforcement efforts along the DKI Highway corridor to improve driver compliance and help keep our communities safe.”
Motorists are reminded to obey posted speed limits, eliminate distractions while driving, always wear seat belts, and never operate a vehicle while impaired.
“Traffic safety is not only about enforcing the rules. It’s about looking out for one another,” said Deputy Police Chief Sherry Bird in the release. “Every time you slow down, buckle your seat belt, or put your phone away, you are making the choice to protect a neighbor, a friend or a family member. Let’s work together to make sure everyone gets home to their ohana safely.”
Hawaii DOT officials said their plans for Saddle Road also include:
>> In-lane thermoplastic rumble strips and additional curve ahead chevron signs before curves and downhill areas;
>> Wet weather road striping;
>> Installation of speed safety cameras to issue warnings to those traveling over 11 miles over the posted speed limit set;
>> Engineering study on long-term improvements which could include full divided highway conversion, installation of medians within the existing right of way, and/or alternate passing lanes.
To comply with state law, DOT officials is holding a virtual public meeting today at 1 p.m. before declaring the emergency Saturday. The Microsoft Teams meeting may be accessed here or by dialing into 808-829-4853 with the conference ID 950 650 20#.
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Hawaii island police urge the public to report dangerous driving by calling 911 in emergencies or contacting the department’s nonemergency line at (808) 935-3311.