Nearly 600 Big island motorists already arrested for DUI in 2026

Hawai‘i Island police arrested 12 motorists for driving under the influence of an intoxicant during the week of Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, bringing the total DUI arrests for the year to nearly 600.

Two drivers were involved in traffic accidents and one driver was under the age of 21, a news release said.

So far this year, there have been 594 DUI arrests compared with 693 during the same period last year, a decrease of more than 14%.

DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue islandwide.

Other statistics based on a review of crashes by the Hawai‘i Police Department’s Traffic Services Section:

• There were 735 major crashes so far this year, compared with 776 during the same period last year, a decrease of about 5%.
• There were 23 fatal crashes, resulting in 25 fatalities, compared with 16 fatal crashes and 17 fatalities during the same period last year. This is an increase of nearly 44% for fatal crashes and 47% percent for fatalities.

The non-traffic fatality count (not on a public roadway) was zero in 2025 and 2026.