Through the South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee, I asked Captain Sanborn of the HPD to report on the number of donkey-car mash-ups in recent months. He reports there have been none at all since January of 2009.
We have reliable anecdotal data of at least one incident this Fall where a donkey was struck and killed on the road.
Part of the problem with tracking the number of incidents may be that it is not part of the standard way HPD keeps statistics on accidents. I'll pursue this with Capt. Sanborn when he returns from his vacation. Meanwhile, I may be able to find out how many dead donkeys are removed by the DLNR from the road, as they have the responsibility for picking them up. As you know from reading this Blog, it is not easy to make contact with the DLNR.
