Community awareness campaign aims to create safer and friendly roadways

August has been proclaimed Drive Aloha Month in the State of Hawaii and DTRIC Insurance is asking motorists to drive with care and courtesy as students head back to school. The Drive Aloha campaign will kick-off its third anniversary on Thursday, August 1 with a Drive Aloha Fair at Tamarind Park in downtown Honolulu from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

“Statewide traffic fatalities went up considerably in 2018 from the previous year, so all of us need to be mindful with our students heading back to school,” said Wenli Lin, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of DTRIC Insurance. “While the Drive Aloha safety message is a timely reminder with increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic with the back to school season, we want everyone to exercise good judgement all year long. Whether you’re a driver, passenger, cyclist, pedestrian or skater, we all have a part to play in building a community of safe and friendly road-users.”

The Drive Aloha Fair will feature interactive activities including a pledge station, impaired driving exercise, and educational tips to encourage safety on the roads.

Recent traffic accident statistics show that there were 117 statewide fatalities in 2018 related to traffic accidents, compared to 104 the previous year. The number of pedestrian deaths rose dramatically from 15 in 2017 to 44 last year.

Launched in August 2016 by DTRIC Insurance, Drive Aloha is a community effort to educate drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to practice responsible, courteous, and safe habits and encourage positive behavior change. The safety campaign is designed to reduce the number of traffic-related accidents and make Hawaii’s roadways safer.

The campaign aims to discourage bad commuting habits – distracted driving through use of cell phones, running a red light, jaywalking, speeding and cutting off another driver – which can all lead to accidents that could have been avoided through safer behavior.

Drive Aloha encourages people to take the safety pledge to be courteous drivers, embrace positive behaviors and practice the ALOHA spirit to make the road safer and friendlier for everyone. Drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and all commuters are urged to take the Drive Aloha pledge at www.drivealoha.com to demonstrate their commitment to practicing safer and more courteous road habits.