March 25 – The free and open event will take place from 9am to 1pm in the lower parking lot of Aloha Stadium. It is presented by the State Department of Education in association with DTRIC Insurance and Par Hawaii.
The annual HIDOE Traffic Safety Fair returns today for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year the event is dedicated to the memory of Sara Yara, the McKinley High School junior who was fatally hit by a hit and run Driver on February 15 when she went to school.
The free event, open to the public, will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the lower parking lot of Aloha Stadium. It is presented by the State Department of Education in association with DTRIC Insurance and Par Hawaii.
Yara’s mother, Chevy Saniatan, is scheduled to give a short speech at 8:45 am about her late daughter and stressing the importance of safe driving.
Attendees can tour a dozen exhibits and eight “learning stations” that allow attendees to learn how concussion, sleep deprivation, and impairment from alcohol or cannabis can affect a person’s ability to function.
High school drivers who have an induction permit or a provisional license and are accompanied by a parent can participate in Operation Driver Excellence, which features four obstacle courses designed to test their driving safety skills.
Exhibits are presented by DTRIC Insurance, Par Hawaii, Honolulu Police Department, MADD Hawaii, Sports Car Clubs of America, Hawaii Bicycling League, Legacy of Life, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, The Queen’s Medical Center , U-Haul, TyREDD and others.
The speaker schedule also includes:—9:20 am HPD Sgt. Nathan O’Sullivan, who will speak on road safety practices for teen drivers and parents. – 10:10am: Kerrie Warne, Founder of TyREDD (Tyler Raising Education for Drowsy Driving), a non-profit organization raising awareness of the dangers of sleep deprivation and tired driving. Warne lost her son Tyler to a sleepy car accident. – 11 a.m.: Theresa Paulette, victim services specialist at Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawaii, who will address the loss of her 15-year-old son, who was driving his moped four blocks from his home in Kaneohe to a driver with multiple arrests for intoxication steering. – Noon: Jim Warneck, senior claims assessor at DTRIC Insurance, and Candace Montgomery, a retired HPD detective and now DOE driver training instructor, detailing the steps to take if involved in a collision.
For more information, see dtric.com/operation-driver-excellence.
