Last week’s horrific crash in Kakaako, in tandem with the state’s drunken-driving figures, persuasively underscore the ongoing need to employ a variety of strategies to reduce alcohol-related fatalities.

In the aftermath of the crash that killed three pedestrians and left four other victims injured — police say the driver was intoxicated — state legislative leaders are rightly calling for tougher laws that target first-time and repeat DUI offenders, and fold in drug-impaired driving as a growing concern.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2017 Hawaii ranked among the worst drunken-driving states, with alcohol-related fatalities representing 39 percent of all traffic deaths. The national average that year was 29 percent.

Among this year’s proposals:

>> House Bill 753 would strengthen the state’s ignition interlock program with more requirements and offer courts the option of using a constant sobriety monitoring system.

In testimony supporting the measure, Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s Hawaii chapter asserted that a combination of license revocation and use of an interlock serve as the best hope for stopping repeat drunken driving. Without such a strategy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 75 percent of convicted drunken drivers continue to drive on a suspended license.

>> Senate Bill 645 would ding offenders who fail to promptly install an interlock with a penalty fee; it also sets requirements for removal of the device, and allows a defendant to enroll in an alcohol or substance abuse education or treatment program.

>> Senate Bill 641 would tweak a definition for “substance abuse” because, for example, under current state law, a marijuana-impaired motorist could not be prosecuted for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant. Drug-impaired driving is a growing problem here and on the mainland.

According to the state Health Department, Hawaii ranks eighth-highest among states for drivers involved in fatal crashes who test positive for illicit substances. The NHTSA reported that in 2016, drugs were present in 43 percent of Hawaii’s fatally-injured drivers.

>> House Bill 703 would prohibit anyone convicted of DUI from purchasing or publicly consuming alcohol for three years. If effectively enforced, that could add a welcome layer of public-safety protection against avoidable tragedy.

Legislators pushing for stronger laws — and encouraging constituents to weigh in on how to improve roadway and crosswalk safety — may be shouldering a Sisyphean challenge. Impaired driving is a stubborn problem, but it’s a behavior that’s avoidable.

Honolulu police are chipping away with vehicle checkpoints, which now stretch beyond the yuletide season and holiday weekends.

And two years ago, state lawmakers pushed the sobriety effort forward by approving a measure giving courts the option to require drivers charged with driving under the influence of an intoxicant within five years of a prior conviction, to be fitted with an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet. The bracelet technology, which reads perspiration to determine alcohol consumption, can and should be used in conjunction with other tools, including ignition interlock devices to reduce incidents of impaired driving.

In Honolulu, first-time offenders lose their driver’s license for a year; must undergo at least 14 hours of substance abuse rehabilitation; and either spend two to five days in jail, pay a fine of up to $1,000 or perform at least 72 hours of community service. The penalties get heavier with each subsequent conviction.

Carol McNamee, who founded MADD Hawaii 35 years ago, has said: “Our tag line is ‘No more victims.’” State lawmakers, working alongside with public safety- oriented agencies and communities across the islands, must continue to look to that as the aim.