Big Island police arrested 13 motorists for suspected drunken driving June 7 and Sunday. Four of the drivers were involved in traffic crashes and one was younger than age 21.
Kona officers arrested seven drivers while South Hilo officers arrested three drivers and Puna officers two, according to data released Tuesday by the Hawaii Police Department. North Kohala officers arrested one driver in the district.
So far this year, there have been 543 DUI arrests compared with 384 during the same period last year, according to police. Though the department notes arrests are up 41.4% year-over-year, there were fewer people on the roads during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of arrests is actually up just 2.84% from 528 in 2019.
There have been 352 major accidents so far this year compared with 367 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.