MEDIA RELEASE
During the week of January 30, 2012, through February 5, 2012, Big Island police arrested 29 motorists for drunk driving. Four of the drivers were involved in traffic crashes. One was under the age of 21.
So far this year, there have been 131 DUI arrests compared with 136 during the same period last year, a decrease of 3.7 percent. The numbers of arrests by district were:
District Weekly Total Year to Date HÄmÄkua 0 2 North Hilo 0 0 South Hilo 17 48 Puna 2 19 Ka’ū 0 3 Kona 8 48 South Kohala 1 9 North Kohala 1 2 Island Total: 29 131
There have been 123 major accidents so far this year compared with 135 during the same period last year, a decrease of 8.9 percent.
So far this year, there were no traffic fatalities on the Big Island compared with three during the same period last year, a decrease of 100 percent.
DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.
This is disgusting…for such a small area to have that many drunks out driving is amazing. Why on earth aren’t these drivers required to have the interlock on their cars so they cannot start the vehicle without first passing a breathalyzer test? That there are no fatalities is a miracle. For a place 100% dependent upon tourists this is certainly an ongoing black eye. Bad enough I cannot cycle past a beach without the whiff of tokes everywhere, now I have to worry about drunks trying to run me over.