Hawaii Police Department
Traffic Services Section
Sergeant Dexter Veriato
Phone: 961-2305
July 18, 2007
MEDIA RELEASE (revised)
Big Island police made 1,275 drunken driving arrests in 2006, an increase of 19 percent from the 1,069 (revised figure) arrested in 2005, according to statistics released by the Traffic Services Section.
Of the drivers arrested for DUI in 2005, 329 were involved in traffic crashes and 151 were under the age of 21.
The numbers of arrests by district were:
| District | Weekly Total | Year to Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hamakua | 0 | 8 |
| North Hilo | 0 | 4 |
| South Hilo | 12 | 348 |
| Puna | 4 | 133 |
| Ka’u | 0 | 42 |
| Kona | 15 | 653 |
| South Kohala | 0 | 75 |
| North Kohala | 1 | 12 |
| Island Total | 32 | 1,275 |
There were 2,453 (revised figure) major accidents recorded in 2006, compared with 2,393 (revised figure) during the same period in 2005, an increase of 3 percent.
There were 33 traffic fatalities on the Big Island in 2006 compared with 36 for the previous year, a decrease of 8 percent. There were 11 fatalities attributed to drunk driving in 2005 compared with 23 in 2005, a decrease of 52 percent. There were nine drug-related fatalities in 2006 compared with 14 in 2005, a decrease of 35 percent. There were three fatalities that were both alcohol and drug related, compared with nine in 2005, a decrease of 29 percent.
The number of fatal crashes increased by 14 percent in 2005 to 33 compared with 29 the previous year.
In 2005, six of the fatality victims were younger than 21, compared with one in 2005, an increase of 500 percent.