Holiday DUI enforcement begins

HILO — With Thanksgiving kicking off the holiday season, police are ramping up DUI enforcement as part of a national and statewide campaign called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

“We’re doing the checkpoints already,” Sgt. Clarence Davies of the Hilo Traffic Enforcement Unit said Tuesday.

So far this year, there have been 24 fatal collisions on Big Island roadways with 28 official traffic fatalities, compared to 14 fatal crashes with 17 fatalities at this time last year. That represents an increase of 71.4 percent for fatal crashes and 64.7 percent for fatalities.

Davies said toxicology reports have not been returned for all the fatal collisions, but of those where results are known, three are alcohol-related, four are drug-related and another four were linked to a combination of alcohol and drug use by a driver or drivers.

Davies said officers at checkpoints are looking for drivers under the influence of drugs, as well as alcohol.

“We do have more officers trained now in recognizing drug-impaired drivers — which includes marijuana,” he said. “Some people think it’s OK to smoke and drive, but they can can also be arrested for marijuana and operating a vehicle under the influence.”

That theme was echoed by Carol McNamee, founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving-Hawaii. She said state Department of Health figures show that among drug-impaired drivers involved in fatal collisions between 2010-2014, “marijuana is leading the pack, so to speak, in fatalities.”

“What we are seeing statewide and on some places on the mainland, as well, is even though the alcohol-related fatalities are dropping — and we’ve done really well on that score — more people are using drugs of various types and they are driving,” McNamee said. “Or they are combining alcohol and drugs with driving. And this is what happens; we get fatalities. It’s very disconcerting, for MADD especially, and for law enforcement, I’m sure, equally or more so, that after this long struggle over 30, 35 years, we’re pleased to see these alcohol-related fatalities declining so well, but then … we get hit with an increased use of drugs and increased fatalities from the use of drugs and driving.”

McNamee said the proliferation of medical marijuana and its legalization for adult recreational use in a handful of states have also led to an increase in fatalities involving drivers with marijuana in their system.

Davies said, in addition to DUI roadblocks, police are also stepping up checkpoints to cite drivers not using seat belts or child restraints, or who are using electronic devices.

“So far this year, total seat belt citations have been 3,411 islandwide and 277 child-restraint violations. There’s been 10,300 speeding citations. There’s been 2,197 citations for using electronic devices. And I’m sure not all the citations have been inputted into the system yet,” he said.

Sgt. Robert Pauole of Hilo’s Traffic Services Section also urged seat belt use, saying Thanksgiving weekend is the one of the busiest times of the year for travel, which increases the potential for crashes.

“The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that risk of fatal injury goes down by 45 percent for front-seat occupants of passenger cars who wear seat belts and by 60 percent for light-truck occupants who wear them,” Pauole said in a statement. “Survive your Thanksgiving drive. Buckle up and drive sober.”

In addition, Davies urged drivers to look out for pedestrians, especially in town.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.