Police arrest 19 for suspected DUI

Police arrested 19 drivers for suspected drunken driving between July 23 and Sunday; three were involved in traffic accidents and one was younger than 21.

Police have made 784 suspected DUI arrests this year compared with 826 during the same period in 2011, according to the Hawaii Police Department.

South Hilo officers arrested eight motorists while Kona officers arrested six and Puna officers arrested three. South Kohala and Ka’u officers arrested one motorist in each district.

There have been 831 major accidents this year compared with 781 during the same period last year.

To date, there have been 21 traffic fatalities on Big Island public roadways, compared with 15 fatalities during the same period in 2011, according to police. To date, 11 of those fatalities were related to drugs, alcohol or a combination of both.