Maui Locals Testing Boats as Top Choice to Abandon on Side of Road

Maui motorists known for a tendency to abandon vehicles on the side of local roads are turning more and more to casting aside boats instead.

The trend was first noticed during a study by a national organization looking into the phenomenon of abandoning cars nationwide.

"We were trying to count all the cars abandoned or burned out on Maui roads, and let me tell you, we're still not done because there are a lot," said Akamai Haaleleia of the Abandoned Vehicle Working Group (AVWG), a national organization funded by various grants and based in Kihei. "And during the process we kept running into these abandoned boats. Some weren't even on trailers so who knows how they got there?"

Haaleleia estimates that during the 24 months his organization has been conducting the study, the number of abandoned boats on the sides of roads has increased by about 37%.

For whatever reason, Maui has a reputation for the sight of abandoned vehicles on roadways, particularly along Hana Highway. The situation has grown to a point where local arts enthusiasts have created an association to rate junked vehicles as pieces of fine art.

The issue is so well known that the Hawaii Legislature this year passed a law to target abandoned cars, by establishing a system of fines for owners who leave them behind.

Unfortunately the bill did not go far enough in terms of establishing penalties for abandoning other things, Haaleleia said.

"It's not just cars, but also campers, bicycles, cheap electric bikes, skateboards, and roller skates," he said. "It's weird: if it moves you from one place to another, odds are that it's been abandoned on Maui roads, and there are pretty good odds that they have been burned out as well as left behind."

Why the boats are now being tested by Maui locals is a mystery Haaleleia's organization is looking into.

"From what we have gathered so far, the comment from some abandoners is they leave boats just to 'mix things up,' or provide visuals a bit different than the charred metal messes that motorists are accustomed to see while driving by."