During the week of Dec. 16-22, Hawaii Island police arrested 20 motorists for DUI. Five of the drivers were involved in a traffic accident. Three were younger than 21.
The numbers of arrests by district were: Kona, 11; South Hilo, six; Puna, two; and South Kohala, one.
So far this year, there have been 1,064 DUI arrests compared with 1,070 during the same period last year, a decrease of 0.56 percent.
Arrests for other charges stemmed from the 20 DUI arrests, as well: one for open container of alcohol in vehicle; two for driving after license suspended; four for driving without a license; five for driving without insurance; and seven for other moving or regulatory violations.
There have been 961 major accidents so far this year compared to 1,120 during the same period last year, a decrease of 14.2 percent.
To date, there have been 25 official traffic fatalities compared to 32 fatalities for the same time last year. This represents a decrease of 22 percent for fatalities.
There also have been three road-related deaths on the Big Island this year that police don’t count toward the official total — one because an autopsy found the driver died of a medical condition, a second because an autopsy found the driver died of natural causes and a third because the collision occurred in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is not in Hawaii Police Department jurisdiction.
DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue islandwide, and will be stepped up during the holiday season, police said.