Big Island police arrested 16 motorists for suspected drunken driving May 31 and Sunday. Four of the drivers were involved in traffic crashes and three were younger than age 21.
Kona officers arrested six drivers while South Hilo officers arrested five drivers and Puna officers two, according to data released Wednesday by the Hawaii Police Department.
So far this year, there have been 529 DUI arrests compared with 365 during the same period last year, according to police. Though the department notes arrests are up 44.9% year-over-year, there were fewer people on the roads during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of arrests is actually up just 7.7% from 491 in 2019.
There have been 328 major accidents so far this year compared with 561 during the same period last year.
As of Tuesday, 11 fatalities have been recorded on the Big Island’s public roadways this year, police said. By this time in 2020, nine people had died.