MEDIA RELEASE

Big Island police made 1,395 drunk driving arrests in 2009, a decrease of 0.1 percent from the 1,397 arrested in 2008, according to statistics released by the Traffic Services Section.

Of the drivers arrested for DUI last year, 360 were involved in traffic crashes and 127 were under the age of 21.

The numbers of arrests by district were:

DUI Arrests by District
District		Year Total

Hāmākua 		4
North Hilo		5
South Hilo		465
Puna    		157
Ka'u    		49
Kona    		577
South Kohala		114
North Kohala		24

Island Total		1,395

There were 1,530 major accidents recorded in 2009 compared with 1,749 during the same period the previous year, a decrease of 12.5 percent.

There were 22 traffic fatalities on the Big Island in 2009 compared with 27 during the same period the previous year, a decrease of 18.5 percent.

Twelve of the fatalities last year were attributed to drunk driving, compared with 17 in 2008, a decrease of 29.4 percent.

Eight were drug-related fatalities, compared with 13 in 2008, a decrease of 38.5 percent.

Five of the fatalities were alcohol- and drug-related, compared with seven in 2008, a decrease of 28.6 percent.

Police said the actual counts of alcohol- and drug-related fatalities may increase after pending reports are completed.

The number of fatal crashes decreased slightly in 2009—19 compared with 27 the year before—a decrease of 29.6 percent.

In 2009, five of the victims were younger than 21, compared with four in 2008, an increase of 25 percent.