A 61-year-old Wailuku woman is dead after being struck by a car while crossing Kaahumanu Avenue in Kahului on Wednesday night, marking Maui County's eighth traffic fatality of 2026. The collision happened around 9:43 p.m. as an eastbound Chevrolet Equinox traveling in the inner lane hit the woman as she walked north near South Wakea Avenue. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the woman was crossing Kaahumanu Avenue outside a marked crosswalk when she was struck. The Maui Police Department said the crash occurred roughly 0.2 miles east of South Papa Avenue, according to a statement from Maui County. Police withheld the woman's identity for 24 hours to allow time to notify extended family and friends, and her name had still not been released as of the Star-Advertiser's report.
The driver of the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox was identified as a 70-year-old Wailuku man who was belted in and sustained no injuries, per the same account from the Star-Advertiser. Both the victim and the driver were residents of neighboring Wailuku, and Kaahumanu Avenue serves as the main multi-lane arterial connecting that town to Kahului, according to The Maui News. Police said they determined that speed, drugs, or alcohol were not factors in the collision, and an investigation remains ongoing.
Pedestrian Right-of-Way and Driver Duty Collide
Under Hawaii Revised Statutes § 291C-73, pedestrians crossing outside a marked crosswalk or unmarked intersection crosswalk must yield the right-of-way to vehicles, with violations carrying a $100 fine, according to Justia Law. At the same time, Hawaii Revised Statutes § 291C-74 requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid striking any pedestrian on a roadway and to sound a horn when necessary, per the Hawaii Department of Transportation. Police investigations into traffic collisions weigh driver attentiveness regardless of where a pedestrian was crossing, the department notes.
The state's approach to pedestrian enforcement itself remains under debate. During its 2026 session, the Hawaii State Legislature considered Senate Bill 2445, which would cap total fines for pedestrian infractions under Chapter 291C at $25, aiming to keep penalties from becoming unduly punitive, according to the Hawaii State Legislature's own bill text. Civil rights and transportation advocates have separately pushed to decriminalize jaywalking altogether.
Maui's Traffic Deaths Trending Down, But Central Maui Remains a Hot Spot
Maui County has now recorded eight traffic fatalities this year, compared with 12 at the same point last year, according to Maui police cited by the Star-Advertiser. That decline mirrors a statewide trend: traffic fatalities across Hawaii dropped significantly in early 2026 after 2025 saw an 18-year high of 128 road deaths, including 38 pedestrian fatalities statewide and five in Maui County, per the Hawaii Department of Transportation. State officials have attributed more than 90 percent of 2025's fatal crashes to human factors like speed and distraction.
Even so, Central Maui continues to see a disproportionate share of the island's pedestrian deaths. County planning analyses show the region accounted for more than two-thirds of Maui's fatal pedestrian crashes between 2014 and 2018, according to the Maui County Department of Planning. Kaahumanu Avenue itself has a history of deadly pedestrian incidents, including a June 2022 crash in which a man was struck and killed by two vehicles along the same corridor, as reported by KHON2.
Vision Zero and Safe-Driving Efforts Continue Statewide
The Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization's Vision Zero Maui initiative aims to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries on the island by 2040 through safer road design, speed management, and infrastructure upgrades. The effort is built on the premise that roadways should be designed so human error does not result in death. Separately, the Hawaii Department of Transportation launched its statewide Safe Roads Challenge in January 2026, enrolling more than 1,700 drivers in a safe-driving app campaign meant to curb aggressive driving and speeding, with state data showing speed contributed to nearly half of early 2026's fatal crashes.
Wednesday's fatality is the latest in a string of deadly crashes Hoodline has tracked across Maui County this year, including a head-on Kihei highway crash and a school bus collision in Kahului. Maui police say their investigation into Wednesday's crash is continuing.
