Maui’s Accident Statistics Show Patterns of Dangerous Times and Places

It’s no secret to Maui drivers that traffic on the island can sometimes seem out of control. Traffic jams and longer travel times are becoming more commonplace, especially in the busiest parts of the island.

With approximately 1.4 million people living in Hawaii – and 1.3 million registered vehicles – it is little surprise that our roads seem so congested. After all, there is almost  1 vehicle for every person living in the state. Here in Maui County, with a population of 167,417, we experience our fair share of traffic from crowded streets and highways  – as well as motor vehicle accidents.

As experienced car accident attorneys, we know that collisions in Maui more often in certain places and times. By analyzing Maui Police Department crash data from a four year period (2015 to 2018), we were able to create two maps that show the “hot spots” for accidents in Maui County, as well as the specific locations for the most serious collisions on Maui. Below, we break down the data, with the goal of helping you avoid the most dangerous times and places for accidents in Maui.

Sobering Statistics: Over 2 Accidents Per Day in Maui

With so many vehicles on the roads  on Maui, it is little wonder that the Island sees such a high rate of car accidents.  Based on the data we have collected, there were approximately 3,600 motor vehicle accidents in Maui County in a two year period. That works out to just under 1800 crashes each year in Maui, or approximately 2.5 accidents each day. While many of these accidents are not serious, others result in catastrophic or even fatal injuries. In 2019 alone, 22 people died in motor vehicle accidents in Maui County. This includes 12 vehicle occupants, 7 pedestrians, 2 moped drivers, and 1 bicyclist.

Where And When Most Accidents Occur In Maui

Most car accidents in Maui County happen in the congested areas around the Kahului airport and the University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC). Accidents also frequently occur in the tourist-heavy areas of Wailea, Kihei, Lahaina and Kā’anapali. While crashes can happen at any time, there are certain days and hours that carry a higher risk of getting into a collision. Below, we break down the numbers to help you make smart choices about which roads to take – and when to avoid certain areas of Maui. You can also use our two maps – the heat map and the accident dot map – to make decisions about your driving. The heat map and accident dot maps offer a visual demonstration of exactly where accidents most often occur in Maui. Using either map, you can see clusters of accidents in the most heavily populated and most visited areas of Maui. By changing the filters to see specific types of accidents (fatal, injury, no injury, or all), you can more clearly see which roads in and around Maui are most dangerous. The heat map shows the areas in Maui where the most accidents occur, with “red” demonstrating accident hot spots. You can adjust the map by clicking on the filters at the top right corner to see where most fatal, injury-causing, and no-injury crashes occur in Maui.

The accident dot map provides an additional level of information. In addition to showing where each type of accident occurred, you can click on a specific dot to learn more about the specific accident. For example, you can filter the map to show only injury or fatal accidents, and then click on the dots to learn when and exactly where the accident occurred.

During this time period, most fatal accidents on Maui happened on Dairy Road, the Honoapiilani Highway, and the Haleakala Highway. In particular, fatal traffic accidents are most common in and around Kahului, home to Maui’s main airport, industrial areas, and commercial shopping centers. While these fatal accidents occurred at various times of the day, they most often happened in the late afternoon from 5:00 p.m. onward.

The Top 10 Roads for Accidents in Maui

The 2,750 accidents that occurred in Maui County between 2015 and 2018 happened on 485 different roads. A large majority of them, however, took place on just five different roadways. Among those, the heaviest concentrations of accidents were in central Maui, on roads commonly used to access the Kahului Airport and UHMC. There were also significant clusters of accidents up and down Maui’s west coast at popular areas along the Honoapiilani Highway in Wailea, Kihei, Kā’anapali, Lahaina, and Kaunakakai on Moloka’i. The following are the ten roads in Maui County that saw the most traffic accidents between 2015 to 2018, as well as the number of accidents that involved injuries.

Hawaii Monthly Accident Statistics

During the same four-year period, accidents were more or less distributed evenly throughout the months, showing that drivers need to be alert and practicing safe driving habits all year round.

Hawaii Weekday Accident Statistics

Breaking things down by the days of the week shows us that Sunday is the day on which Hawaiians seem to be safest on the road—although the margin is not very large. On the other side of the coin, there are slight spikes in the number of accidents reported on Mondays and Fridays.

Hawaii Accident Statistics By Time Of Day

Finally, if we look at what time of day most accidents occur across Hawaii, it is fairly clear (and not surprisingly) that most accidents occur during hours when there are likely to be more vehicles on the road. Statistics show that accident numbers start to rise around 7 am when people are beginning to head to work, peak throughout the day, and then start to decline in the evening hours as more people get to their destinations for the night.

Have You Been Injured In A Car Accident In Hawaii?

If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident in Hawaii, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and the financial burden that serious injuries often bring on. The experienced car accident attorneys at Menzer Law can investigate and help determine if you may be able to file a personal injury claim to recover damages for your injuries. You can contact us anytime online or call us at 206-970-2685to schedule a confidential, free consultation. We’ll be happy to go over the details of your case and discuss what we can do to help you.