Police arrested dozen for suspected DUI last week

Big Island police arrested a dozen motorists for suspected drunken driving Aug. 23 and Sunday. Five of the drivers were involved in traffic crashes.

Kona officers arrested five drivers while South Hilo and Puna officers arrested three drivers in each district, according to data released Tuesday by the Hawaii Police Department. Hamakua officers arrested one motorist.s

So far this year, there have been 727 DUI arrests compared with 612 during the same period last year, according to police.

There have been 529 major accidents so far this year compared with 500 during the same period last year.

As of Tuesday, 15 fatalities have been recorded on the Big Island’s public roadways this year, police said. By this time in 2020, 13 people had died.