Driving in Kauaʻi

Many drivers here actually do practice aloha spirit and thatʻs exactly what I recommend you do here. In practice this means being considerate, not rushing, and of course no aggressive driving, but I will give a few examples that I think go well above and beyond, and other regions would be wise to learn from.

But before that a few warnings about the realities of driving here are in order.

1. Traffic around Lihue and Kapaʻa can be heavy at commute times and during the day.
2. Kapaʻa is perhaps the worst (it can take an hour to go a few miles), consider the alternate route.
3. During commute times from Kapaʻa/Wailua to Lihue they set out cones for contra-flow, switching to two lanes inbound temporarily to handle the traffic volume.
4. A few drivers seem to insist on going well below the speed limit (tailgating them doesn't help).
5. People occasionally stop on the road and engage in talk story: try to be patient.
6. Rarely a major accident can shut down a main road, and on an island that can easily lead to a you-can't-get-there-from-here situation. Get to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Meeting people at the airport I go early and hang out at Nawiliwili just a few minutes from the airport.

Drivers here are very good at spotting pedestrians at crossings and stopping. The unspoken assumption is that the tourist gawking at the sights don't tend to see them and stop.

If you do get stuck in slow-moving traffic, here is a nice tactic I have seen often. Look for a car stopped on a side street trying to turn left - if you are moving slowly anyway and the other direction is open for them, brake and make an opening for them to pull out. Itʻs easy to catch up to the car ahead and gives you something to look for, not to mention good karma.