Pedestrian accidents and fatalities are all too common in the islands, so a month-long campaign is underway to save lives and make Hawaii a safer place to walk.

As political sign-waving ramps up along Hawaii roads, expect to also see more sign-waving for safety; part of an effort to get drivers to slow down and pay attention to pedestrians. In 2012, there have been dozens of pedestrian accidents. Many of those have been deadly.

"It's pretty dangerous. I've never seen anybody get hit by a car, but I've seen lots of close calls and they happen all the time," said Moiliili resident Jared Young.

While pedestrian accidents can happen any time, fatalities tend to peak during two times of the day:

The morning rush hour from 5:30-7:30 a.m., and evenings between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m..

There have been 40 deadly accidents on Oahu's roads this year, but it is a fatality from 30 years ago that has stuck with Governor Neil Abercrombie. He witnessed a young man who was killed while crossing Nimitz Highway.

"The car hit this young man, and we stopped. I went to him and tried to hold his head up, and he died in my hands. I stood there and I remember trying to get the cars to stop, and it was in the middle of the street," said Abercrombie.

The state's "Walk Wise" effort works to prevent more injuries and deaths by educating both pedestrians and drivers. The program appears to be helping. While seniors still make up a large percentage of fatalities, those numbers have been dropping since the program began in 2003. One of the concerns this year is the growing number of distracted pedestrians, especially young adults between the ages of 17 and 22.

"I'm guilty of walking and texting and I believe it can be just as dangerous as driving and texting," said Young.

During August, in addition to reaching out to kids and seniors, University of Hawaii students at all campuses will also get pedestrian and driver safety tips.
Along with the sign-waving, there will also be educational events at problem intersections and streets.