A 62-year-old moped rider was critically injured Monday afternoon after colliding with a car on North Kuakini Street in Liliha, near the popular Liliha Bakery. Police say the rider was not wearing a helmet, and that speed appears to have been a factor in the crash.
According to Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the collision occurred about 1:40 p.m. near Aipaako Street, when a 19-year-old woman driving west on North Kuakini Street attempted to turn left into the Liliha Bakery parking lot and struck the moped rider, who was traveling east. Emergency Medical Services transported the man to a hospital in critical condition. The Honolulu Police Department confirmed a critical collision involving a moped occurred at that time and location, describing it as within the Kalihi area.
The woman remained at the scene and was not injured, the outlet reports. Police said the moped rider was not wearing a helmet and that speed appears to have been a contributing factor in the crash. The collision remains under investigation, and it was not known whether drugs or alcohol were involved, per the same account.
A Troubling Pattern on Oahu's Roads
This is not the first serious moped crash to hit the Liliha area. In March 2025, a 49-year-old man died days after a hit-and-run moped crash at the intersection of Liliha Street and Holokahana Lane, according to the Star-Advertiser. In that incident, the vehicle or vehicles involved fled without stopping to render aid, and EMS transported the rider to a hospital in serious condition before he later died of his injuries.
Statistics suggest the danger extends well beyond Liliha. Honolulu Emergency Medical Services recorded 36 Oahu incidents in 2026 involving e-bikes, e-scooters, mopeds, motorcycles and similar vehicles, with 20 people hospitalized, according to KHON2. Among unhelmeted riders hospitalized, 16 were listed in serious condition, with the rest in critical condition, the station reported.
Statewide Road Deaths at an 18-Year High
The broader numbers paint a grim picture for Hawaii drivers and riders alike. Hawaii recorded 129 road deaths in 2025, more than 20% higher than the year before and the highest total since 2007, according to Honolulu Civil Beat. Oahu alone accounted for more than half of those deaths, rising from 51 in 2024 to 82 in 2025.
Motorcycle and motor scooter riders made up roughly a third of Oahu's 2025 traffic deaths, with 39 such riders killed statewide — 31 motorcyclists, including passengers, and eight motor scooter operators, Civil Beat reported. In one comparable case cited by the outlet, a 44-year-old man lost control of his moped on North King Street in September 2025, was ejected and struck by an oncoming motorist; he, too, was not wearing a helmet. Despite the rise in fatalities, Hawaii's serious road injuries actually fell about 10% last year, from 579 to 529, per the same report.
No citations or charges connected to Monday's Liliha crash have been reported, and investigators have not released further details on the rider's condition. The case remains under investigation.
