Hawaiʻi Island students paint murals to prevent impaired driving

With the help of more than 500 pairs of hands, Honokaʻa High and Intermediate School has created a mural with a larger message and purpose: promoting safe and sober driving.

“Drive with Aloha,” a program funded through the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) grant, unveiled the mural, which spans 100 feet on the side of a building at one of the end zones of the football field.

The mural is the sixth “Drive with Aloha” mural on the Big Island, all of which share a similar message of safe and sober driving. At Honokaʻa Intermediate and High School the students decided to feature their school’s mascot, the dragon, which emphasizes the words “respect, consideration and leadership.”

“I think the idea of a mural captures the students’ interests and gives them a sense of belonging,” founder Ken Nishimura said. “But then hearing from victim advocates and people who have been affected by impaired driving is what really gets through to them. It’s a powerful message that is hard to ignore.”

As a lifelong artist, Nishimura wanted to use his skills to give back to Hawaiʻi and began involving himself in prevention campaigns joined the coalition, Hawaiʻi Partnership to Prevent Underage Drinking. Most of his attention shifted focus towards working with the youth and outreach community programs.

To bridge the gap between generations, cultures and communities, he began organizing collaborative art projects to create awareness to a multitude of causes such as underage drinking and drug use, ocean safety and anti-bullying.

After making the first mural on Oʻahu in 2022, the Department of Transportation approached Nishimura to apply for a grant to educate inspire both students and the broader community about sober driving and road safety with art as the primary tool, complemented by workshops and presentations. 

As part of each mural project, students and community members participate in a painting workshop, community painting day, a roadside rally and the unveiling and blessing of the mural. They do so while learning about the dangers of impaired driving or riding in a car with an impaired driver.

They hear stories from traffic safety advocates, community leaders and families whose loved ones were killed by impaired drivers.

“The Honokaʻa assistant principal decided to tell their victim impact story and it really hit home hard for the kids,” Nishimura said. “After the few days we are there, students across the board are in agreement – never get in the car with someone who is not sober, never drive sober and always try to stop people from driving sober.”

As of Nov. 17, the Big Island has seen 813 DUI arrests, 880 major crashes and 18 fatal crashes, resulting in 20 fatalities. Statewide, there have been 106 traffic-related deaths, which is four more than the 102 in all of 2024, according to the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation.

“I think that specifically with Hawaiʻi Island, every single one of us can be impacted,” said project coordinator Laycie Love. “This is a small community, and when someone is injured or killed, there is a lot of shame and heartache that comes with that.”

She added: “Collectively, we are dealing with an existential crisis where many people might feel like it’s too little too late. However, students want to do something, especially after we engage with them and ask them what they think.”

In Honokaʻa, much of the work will be done by students talking with their family and friends. According to Nishimura, when victim advocates speak to the students, the stories stick with them, and they want to try to ensure it doesn’t happen to their family.

“They realize that their voice matters and that they can utilize their voice to say no to getting into a car with an impaired driver or to talk to people at family functions,” Nishimura said. “There is very little justice given to victims of impaired driving, so prevention — stopping it at its core — is the most important work we can do.”

On Wednesday, the County Council passed the first reading of a bill that would provide funding for the Traffic Safety Training Project, which would serve as a resource for prosecutors handling traffic safety crimes. The mission of the project is to increase the successful prosecution of alcohol and drug-impaired drivers to make Hawaiʻi roads safer.

If it passes the second reading, $18,440 in funds would be used by the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney to assist in expenses for trainings, meetings, and materials that will help prosecutors effectively investigate, prosecute, and testify in court on these cases.

According to Nishimura, Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen has been supportive of the “Drive with Aloha” program and has attended nearly all the mural unveilings.

“Impaired driving is 100% preventable,” Waltjen said during the unveiling in Holokaʻa. “We have all seen in our line of work how these preventable deaths impact those who lose their lives and those they leave behind.

“It is very simple to remember to think before you drink and look out for family members; however, it is much harder to speak up about it to a loved one. Every time you speak up, you save someone from a lifetime of regret.”

“Drive with Aloha” has one or two more murals planned before the end of the fiscal year in August 2026. To keep up with the nonprofit and see where they will go next, follow them on social media.

Community members that would like to participate are encouraged to contact Love over email at laycie@keepitflowingmedia.com  

To learn more about the risks of impaired driving, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving and https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drug-impaired-driving