Hawai'i Island's fight against drunk driving shows a glimmer of progress with recent police data suggesting a dip in DUI arrests and major crashes in the early months of 2025. According to the Hawai‘i Police Department, there were 12 motorists arrested for DUI between January 27 and February 2, and the year-to-date count has reached 82, a decline from the 88 arrests logged by this time in the previous year.

However, despite the reduction, six of these recent DUI arrests resulted from traffic collisions. The number of major accidents has also seen a decrease, dropping to 78 compared to 87 in the same span last year, which represents a notable decline and perhaps a sign that enforcement and education campaigns might be making headway. 

Fatal crashes have remained constant with four fatal incidents reported this year, equal to the figure from the same time frame in 2024. In their continued effort to curb DUI incidences, the Hawai‘i Police Department's Traffic Services Section is maintaining its vigilance with island-wide DUI checkpoints and patrols.