DUI Arrests Fall Slightly Below 2011 Levels

For the first time since February 12, the amount of DUI arrests on Hawaii Island have fallen below comparable numbers from 2011, albeit by the slimmest of margins.

The Hawaii Police Department says that 502 people have been arrested through May 6 of this year, which is one less than the 503 that were booked last year by authorities. This past week, 31 motorists were arrested for DUI related offenses. Three of those that were arrested were under the age of 21.

Traffic accidents and fatalities are still above last year’s numbers. So far this year, there have been 515 traffic accidents this year, an increase of 4.9 percent from last year, where there was 491 accidents during the same time frame.

The 14 traffic fatalities is an increase of 75 percent to the eight that happened by May 6, 2011. Of the traffic deaths that have happened so far this year, four of them were related to drugs, while one other death was related to alcohol