KAILUA-KONA — Driving while intoxicated is a crime on the rise in Hawaii and last week, Kona and South Hilo saw much of the illegal action.
From March 28 through Sunday, 14 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Six of those citations resulted from traffic crashes. One person arrested was under the age of 21, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Six DUI arrests occurred in the Kona District while another six happened in the South Hilo District. Two arrests were made in the Puna District.
Through early April, 289 DUI arrests have been made on the island — 112 of those in the Kona area. Only 241 DUI arrests were made in the same time period in 2015 — an increase of 19.9 percent.
There have been five fatal crashes on Hawaii Island in 2016, including six fatalities. There were four fatal crashes in the same time period in 2015, which also resulted in six fatalities.