Seven drivers arrested for DUI in Kona

Big Island police arrested 17 motorists for suspected drunken driving Sept. 27 and Sunday. Six of the drivers were involved in traffic crashes. One was younger than age 21.

Kona officers arrested seven drivers while Puna officers six and South Hilo officers two, according to data released Wednesday by the Hawaii Police Department. Officers in South Kohala and Hamakua arrested one motorist in each district.

So far this year, there have been 808 DUI arrests compared with 724 during the same period last year, according to police.

There have been 601 major accidents so far this year compared with 585 during the same period last year.

As of Wednesday, 18 fatalities have been recorded on the Big Island’s public roadways this year, police said. By this time in 2020, 13 people had died.