Police arrest 18 for suspected drunken driving

Police arrested 18 motorists for alleged drunken driving between July 1 and Sunday. Four of the drivers were involved in traffic crashes. One was younger than 21.

So far this year, there have been 646 DUI arrests compared with 727 during the same period last year, a decrease of 11.1 percent. The numbers of arrests by district were: South Hilo, 7; Puna, 4; Kona, 5; and South Kohala, 2.

There have been 707 major accidents so far this year compared with 764 during the same period last year, a decrease of 7.5 percent.

So far this year, there have been 18 traffic fatalities on Hawaii Island compared with 14 during the same period last year, an increase of 28.6 percent. One fatality was related to drugs only, one to alcohol only and two were related to a combination of both.