17 motorists arrested for DUI week of Oct. 14-20

Hawaiʻi Island police continue their crackdown on motorists who choose to drive on island roadways while under the influence of an intoxicant, arresting 17 for DUI during the week of Oct. 14-20.

Seven of those drivers were involved in traffic crashes. Two of the drivers were younger than 21 years old.

Seven of the DUI arrests were made in Kona. Hilo, South Kohala and Puna had 3 each and one driver was arrested in Kaʻū.

There had been a total of 787 DUI arrests so far this year as of Oct. 20, a 0.90% increase from the 780 recorded by the same date in 2023.

Kona has had the most drivers arrested for driving under the influence in 2024 by Oct. 20 with 284, followed by Hilo with 231 and Puna with 163 as the only districts with DUI arrest numbers in the three digits.

Hawai‘i Police Department’s Traffic Services Section reviewed all updated crashes and found a total of 787 major crashes for 2024 through Oct. 20, an increase of 16.6% from the 675 by the same date in 2023.

There had been 22 fatal crashes and 24 fatalities on Big Island roadways by the same date, increases of 69.2% and 71.4%, respectively, compared with the 13 fatal crashes and 14 fatalities by Oct. 20, 2023.

The non-traffic fatality count, or those fatalites that did not happen on a public roadway, stood at zero, the same as last year by the same date.

Police said DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue islandwide.