The Hawaii Police Department reported 1,001 drunken driving arrests in 2020, down nearly 8% from 2019 when 1,085 motorists were nabbed for suspected DUI.
During 2020, Kona officers arrested 400 drivers, while South Hilo officers arrested 259 and Puna officers 213, according to data released Wednesday by the department. In South Kohala, officers arrested 88 while North Kohala officers arrested 19 and Ka’u officers 12. Hamakua officers eight and North Hilo officers two.
There were 176 drivers arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant who were involved in traffic accidents in 2020, compared with 233 in 2019, a decrease of 24.5%.
There were 57 drivers arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant who were under the age of 21 in 2020, compared with 65 in 2019, a decrease of 12.3%.
For the year 2020, there were 772 major accidents compared with 988 in 2019, a decrease of 21.9%.
In 2020 there were 15 fatal crashes on Hawaii Island, resulting in 15 fatalities, compared with 25 fatal crashes resulting in 25 fatalities recorded in 2019. This represents a decrease of 40% for fatal crashes and fatalities.
Impairment was a factor in 12 fatalities in 2020. Of those, three involved alcohol only, seven involved drugs only, and two involved both alcohol and drugs.