HAWAII ISLAND, Hawaii (KHON2) — Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or other substances increases your risk of a major collision.
Research from the National Institute of Medicine found that DUI can increase those chances by anywhere from 9× to several hundred times. It all depends on your blood alcohol level.
Hawaii Island police announced that they are having a decrease in both DUIs and traffic fatalities related to DUIs. Meanwhile, traffic collisions due to DUIs have increased, they said.
Police said that 14 people were arrested for driving under the influence during the week of July 28 to Aug. 3. Five of the drivers were involved in a crash. One was under the age of 21.
So far in 2025, police said they have made 544 DUI arrests. That is down from 575 during the same time in 2024. That’s a decrease of 5.4%.
While DUI arrests have gone down, they also said that the occurrence of major crashes have increased. Police have recorded 621 major crashes so far this year. That is an increase of 6.9% compared with 581 last year.
They also said there have been 13 fatal crashes on Hawai‘i Island in 2025 and that 14 people have died. This is fewer than the 18 fatal crashes and 20 deaths recorded by this time last year. Fatal crashes are down ~28%. Fatalities are down 30%.
Police said zero non-traffic fatalities have happened this year, the same as last year.
They also want the public to know that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue across the island.
Anyone with questions can contact the Traffic Services Section at (808) 961-2305.