MEDIA RELEASE

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) new campaign of “If you feel Different, You Drive Different” is not new for those of us on the Big Island who have been impacted by drunk and drugged driving fatalities.

This holiday season, the Hawai’i Police Department wants everyone to remember that drug impaired driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Illegal Drugs, prescription medication, and even some over the counter drugs can interfere with your brain’s ability to properly function. Drug use can negatively impact your motor coordination and reaction time – both critical aspects of safely operating a vehicle. It’s illegal to drive while drug-impaired, and it puts you, your passengers and other road users at risk of serious injury or death.

According to the NHTSA in 2015, 42 percent of drivers killed in fatal crashes who were tested, tested positive for drugs. Hawai’i Police Department officers are out strictly enforcing the DUI laws to help prevent more people from being injured or killed. Please do your part and don’t drink and drive and let’s help everyone make it home for the holidays.