In an effort to reduce car crashes on Maunakea Access Road, Maunakea rangers are inspecting the brakes of all vehicles descending the mountain.
The rangers, a program managed by the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Center for Maunakea Stewardship, began conducting brake checks earlier this year after a series of accidents on the road, including one in January that caused the death of a 9-year-old Kailua-Kona girl.
That accident, as well as two others in early 2022, were subsequently determined to be caused by brake failure.
Ranger Oscar Pouoa said the rangers independently decided to conduct temperature checks on the brakes of every vehicle they encounter coming down the summit, and advising drivers with overheating brakes to park at the midlevel facility at Halepohaku to cool them off, which can take anywhere from 15 minutes to more than an hour, depending on the heat.
The rangers already conduct vehicle inspections at the midlevel checkpoint before they are allowed to proceed up the mountain. Those checks ensure the vehicles are properly maintained and have four-wheel drive, while also screening for invasive species, and turn back more than 60% of vehicles, according to a UH news release.
“We’re kind of tutoring people in how to drive four-wheel drive cars, since most people coming up here don’t know how to do it,” Pouoa said.
Pouoa said the rangers advise drivers to pull over if their brake temperatures reach 300 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, as wet brake fluid boils around that threshold. When brake fluid boils, Pouoa said, it first makes applying the brakes feel sticky or spongy, and then causes them to fail entirely.
Of the 50 to 100 vehicles that traverse the mountain on average each day, Pouoa said about 30% are coming down too hot.
For the most part, he said, drivers are gracious when rangers warn them about their brakes, but he added that the rangers cannot require drivers to stop, only strongly recommend it.
“Sometimes, people ignore our recommendations,” Pouoa said, adding that one of the three access road crashes this year happened after the rangers began conducting brake checks, and that the driver had ignored advice to wait for their brakes to cool.
Pouoa said drivers should come down the mountain using a low gear and at low speed to avoid overheating their brakes. Four-wheel drive also should be enabled — Pouoa said many drivers incorrectly believe that four-wheel drive vehicles have that feature activated at all times.
Pouoa also noted that there is a difference between all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles. The latter system is more common on trucks, while former is more typical on cars and SUVs.
Pouoa said the rangers do not recommend that all-wheel drive vehicles ascend the mountain, as they typically do not have low enough gears to slow the car without heavy reliance on brakes.
“A lot of times, you get people going down in neutral, and they’re on the brakes the whole time,” Pouoa said. “Sometimes, they’re following too close behind a car that’s actually going down at a low gear, so they’re just standing on their brakes.”
At least one driver was pulled over with a brake temperature above 900 degrees Fahrenheit, Pouoa said. That driver, at least, chose to wait at Halepohaku.
The policy of conducting brake checks will continue indefinitely, Pouoa said, suggesting that the rangers might add another shift to conduct late-night scans.
“We can’t stop you, but we can tell you when you’re putting your life in danger,” Pouoa said. “Just park, cool off, and look at the stars.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.