Hawai‘i Island police arrested 14 people for DUI between March 17 and March 23. One of those arrested was involved in a traffic incident, and three were under 21, as reported by the Hawaii Police Department.
With the year hardly into its fourth month, the DUI arrest count has climbed to 215, marking a slight uptick from the 211 arrests made by the same time last year. Interestingly, despite an increase in DUI arrests, the number of major crashes on the island shows a downward trend with 223 major crashes this year compared with last year's 229, noticeable in the very roads these drivers took for granted as they drove intoxicated.
Regarding the gravest of outcomes, fatal crashes, the island has seen a substantial decrease. There have been 7 fatal crashes resulting in 8 fatalities this year, down from the previous year's 10 fatal crashes and 11 fatalities. The community finds some solace in these numbers, representing a decline of 30 percent for fatal crashes and 27.3 percent for fatalities.
In a continuing effort to combat impaired driving, the Hawai‘i Police Department will maintain DUI roadblocks and patrols across the island, a strategy that has yielded measurable results, reflected in the number of lives saved despite wrapped around a lamppost that new DUI arrests fall into old patterns of recklessness, as reported by the Traffic Services Section.
