MEDIA RELEASE

During the week of December 26, 2011, through December 31, 2011, Big Island police arrested 13 motorists for drunk driving. Four of the drivers were involved in traffic crashes.

For the year 2011, there were 1,435 DUI arrests compared with 1,513 in 2010, a decrease of 4.9 percent. The numbers of arrests by district were:

District	Weekly Total	Year to Date
Hāmākua 	0       	8
North Hilo	0       	2
South Hilo	4       	584
Puna     	3       	192
Ka'Å«    	0       	22
Kona    	5       	561
South Kohala	1       	63
North Kohala	0       	3
Island Total:	13      	1,435

There were 1,400 major accidents in 2011 compared with 1,451 in 2010, a decrease of 3.6 percent.

In 2011, there were 23 traffic fatalities on the Big Island compared with 27 in 2010, a decrease of 14.8 percent.

Fifteen fatalities in 2011 were related to drugs only (4), alcohol only (5), or a combination of both (6).

DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.