Hawaiʻi Police Department
Traffic Services Section
Torey Keltner, Program Manager
Phone: (808) 961- 2305
Media Release
As we approach the Labor Day weekend, the Hawai’i Police Department would like to remind all drivers that any form of impaired driving is illegal. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and If You Feel Different, You Drive Different – Drive High, Get a DUI.
“Almost everyone knows that driving drunk is dangerous, puts lives at risk, and can get you a DUI – but there isn’t the same awareness for drug-impaired driving,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King. “At NHTSA, we are working hard to raise awareness among the driving public of the fact that driving impaired by drugs is illegal in every state. We want to encourage people to think twice before driving and to follow through by designating a sober driver, calling a cab, or using a ridesharing service.”
- In 2016, 42% of the drivers killed in fatal crashes who were tested, tested positive for drugs. Keep this important rule in mind: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI.
- NHTSA’s 2013/14 National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers found that nearly one in four-weekend nighttime drivers tested positive for at least one drug that could impair their ability to drive safely.
- It doesn’t matter what term you use: If a person is feeling a little high, buzzed, stoned, wasted, or drunk, he or she is impaired and should never get behind the wheel.
- If you think driving while high won’t affect you, you are wrong: It has been proven that Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychoactive effects — slows reaction times, impairs cognitive performance, and makes it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane. This is a deadly combination.
- Something as simple as cold medication or an over-the-counter sleep aid could impair your driving. If it does, you will be arrested for a DUI. If you are taking a new prescription drug or a higher dose of a current prescription drug, do not drive until you know what effect it has on your judgment, coordination, and reaction time. Any effect could impair your driving ability.
- Certain medications may not impair you on their own, but if taken with a second medication or with alcohol, they may cause impairment. Any form of impaired driving is illegal.
- It is illegal to drive impaired in all 50 states and the District of Columbia — no exceptions.
The Hawai’i Police Department takes driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs very seriously. We will have officers patrolling and at designated roadblocks throughout the island. We hope that everyone is safe and passes this information on to other drivers. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
