Police nab 15 for suspected drunken driving

Hawaii Island police arrested 15 motorists for suspected drunken driving between Jan. 27 and Sunday. Two of the drivers were involved in a traffic crash and two were younger than age 21.

Officers arrested six drivers in Kona, four in South Hilo, and three in Puna, according to data released Monday by the Hawaii Police Department. Officers in the Ka‘u and South Kohala arrested one driver in each district.

So far this year, there have been 103 DUI arrests compared with 80 during the same period last year, according to police. There have been 91 major accidents so far this year compared with 87 during the same period last year.

Three fatalities have been recorded on Hawaii Island’s public roadways through Monday afternoon, police said. By this time in 2019, two people had perished.