Q. I understand that Honolulu police will begin ticketing drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians starting Sept. 1. How are drivers and pedestrians supposed to abide by the law when it was never explained to them?

A. State and county officials are ramping up for enforcement of the new crosswalk safety law and a public awareness program such as the highly visible "Click It or Ticket" seat-belt campaign, said State Transportation Director Rod Haraga.

On Sept. 1, police will begin issuing tickets to both pedestrians and drivers who violate the law, while until now, violators received only warnings, he said.

Honolulu Police Lt. Jeffery Bruchal said the new pedestrian law says a motorist must stop and yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk when a pedestrian is on the same half of the roadway that the motorist is traveling on. The driver must stop until the pedestrian reaches the sidewalk on the right, or reaches the halfway point of the road on the left.

"We're No. 4 in the nation as far as pedestrian fatalities per capita, and that needs to come down," Haraga said.

Violators will be subject to a fine of $92, he said.

Several more pedestrian accidents called attention to the issue this week. On Monday, several pedestrians were hurt when a car jumped onto a sidewalk in Waikiki, and four other people — including three children — were hurt when they were struck by a pickup truck in 'Ewa Beach.

Haraga said officials will use part of an extra $3.9 million in federal traffic money the state has earned because of its consistently high use of seat belts to fund the new pedestrian safety effort and pay police overtime to enforce it.

"We're going to pay particular attention to areas where there have been a high number of incidents and enforce it in those areas first," he said. "We'll also be looking at jaywalking."

In general, drivers should remember "if there's any doubt, stop," Haraga said.

Q. What happens when a driver has the green light to turn right from Ward Avenue onto Kapi'olani with pedestrians crossing from both sides of Kapi'olani? Must the driver wait until the pedestrians crossing from both sides, across all six lanes, get completely to the sidewalk?

A. Yes, Bruchal said. The new law means drivers may not proceed as long as there is a pedestrian crossing on the same half of the roadway that the motorist is on.

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