During the week of Sept. 9-15, Hawaii Island police arrested 28 motorists for DUI. Five of the drivers were involved in traffic accidents. One was younger than 21.
The numbers of arrests by district were: Kona, 12; South Hilo, six; Puna, five; Ka‘u and South Kohala, two each; and Hamakua, one.
So far this year, there have been 797 DUI arrests compared to 805 during the same period last year, a decrease of 1%.
There have been 674 major accidents so far this year compared to 882 during the same period last year, a decrease of 23.6%.
To date, there have been 14 official traffic fatalities compared to 21 during the same time period last year, a decrease of 33.3%. There also have been three deaths so far this year on Big Island roads that police don’t count toward the official yearly traffic death toll — two because the driver was found to have suffered a medical condition that caused the collision and death and another that occurred in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is not under county jurisdiction.
DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue islandwide, police said.