DUI Arrests Rise by 9% From 2011 Numbers

The number of DUI arrests on Hawai’i Island has risen by 9.1% over last year’s pace, according to the latest statistics released by the Hawaii Police Department Wednesday.

27 more arrests took place last week, bringing the total number of arrests islandwide to 396, which is 33 more than the same time period in 2011. 10 of the drivers arrested last week were involved in traffic accidents, and one person arrested was under the age of 21.

The number of major accidents across the island are still above last year’s pace, up by 4.4%. There have been 404 major accidents this year, an increase of 17 traffic incidents.

Also up from last year are the amount of traffic fatalities islandwide, as nine people had died as of the time of the police department’s release. That’s compared to six fatalities last year at this time. A 10th traffic fatality happened early Wednesday, but was not factored into the report.