Road conditions contribute to more than half of all deaths in vehicular crashes nationally — more than drunken driving, speeding or nonuse of seatbelts — according to a study commissioned by an industry group that advocates for boosting spending on road construction.

And Hawai'i ranked among the states with the highest crash costs measured in terms of medical costs, lost productivity, property damage and pain and suffering, the study found.

State Transportation Department director Brennon Morioka disputed the study, saying that drivers — not deficient roads — are the key factor in Hawai'i's traffic death toll.

Sixty people have died in traffic accidents statewide this year through June 30, according to the Department of Transportation. That compares with 138 traffic deaths in 2007 and 107 last year.

"The reality is driver behavior and poor driver decisions are what's killing people on our roads," Morioka said.

Bad highway design and conditions are a factor in more than half of the fatal accidents in the United States, contributing to more deaths than speeding, drunken driving or failure to use seatbelts, according to Ted R. Miller, who co-authored the 18-month study released yesterday.

Road-related conditions were a factor in 22,000 fatalities and cost more than $217 billion each year, the study concludes. By comparison, Miller said, similar accidents where alcohol was a factor cost $130 billion, speeding cost $97 billion and failure to wear a seat belt caused losses of $60 billion.

Almost 42,000 people die in traffic accidents nationwide per year.

'POOR CHOICES'

Morioka doesn't dispute that road conditions affect highway safety but said drivers have the responsibility to adjust to road conditions, including being aware of surrounding vehicles, recognizing their own capabilities and following traffic rules.

"When you look at the number of all the fatalities here on O'ahu (31 so far this year) not one has been because of the road conditions or the road itself," Morioka said. "Every single one has been because someone was irresponsible in getting behind the wheel and driving drunk or excessively speeding on our highway."

Certain roads throughout the state have deadly reputations — Farrington Highway, Kaukonahua Road, Honoapi'ilani Highway on Maui and Kea'au-Pahoa Road on the Big Island, among others.

But Morioka said even Kaukonahua — a city road with its winding, flat turns — is safe if people abide by the speed limit of 25 mph and traffic laws.

"If people are going to disregard the laws and put themselves and everyone else at risk, then it doesn't matter what you do engineering-wise," he said. "People will still die if people still make poor decisions."

The study said the comprehensive cost per million vehicle-miles for Hawai'i was $105,792 in 2006 dollars and the comprehensive cost per mile of road in 2006 dollars was $338,310, the highest of all the states. By comparison, in California — the No. 2 state in that category — the cost per mile was $211,059.

The report was commissioned by the Transportation Construction Coalition, which represents trade groups and unions with a vested interest in funding for road construction.

It recommends several improvements that would bring roads more closely into compliance with current standards. They include adding and widening shoulders, widening or replacing narrow bridges, realigning crooked roads, requiring break-away sign and light posts, using more brightly colored pavement markings, installing signs that are easier to read and decipher, and adding rumble strips and guardrails.

OLD ROADS

If America's most modern superhighways are exemplars of magnificent design, the study argues, its back roads are not. They twist their way around the contours of the land, rather than plough through them; they wear thin more rapidly than repair budgets allow; and they are straddled by all manner of obstacles with which a car should not tangle.

"A lot of this is a problem of old roads," said Miller, who heads the nonprofit Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Calverton. "A road that was built in horse-and-buggy days had lots of trees for shade. A horse and buggy didn't need wide bridges, so we built narrow ones."

The study is canted toward making the case for investment in highway improvements. It is being released as billions from the $787 billion stimulus package are being spent on road projects, and just before a House Transportation Committee debate, scheduled for this month, on a $500 billion transportation bill. The Obama administration has pushed for an 18-month delay on the bill while it deals with more pressing issues, but there is bipartisan support in the House to approve the six-year spending plan.

In Hawai'i, the Legislature failed to pass a $4.2 billion, six-year highway modernization bill this year. The bill would have accelerated improvements and raised awareness, Morioka said. It included programs for schools and resources to pay police overtime for additional enforcement and drunken driver checkpoints, he said.

"Improving our highway system is not just about projects and the roadways," Morioka said. "It's about education and outreach."

Advertiser Staff writer Eloise Aguiar and The Washington Post contributed to this story. Reach Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 239-7618.