The number of alcohol- related traffic fatalities and impaired-driving arrests on Oahu has surpassed 2021’s totals, and Honolulu police are urging holiday revelers to celebrate responsibly this extended weekend.
There have been 54 traffic fatalities on Oahu so far this year, compared with 46 in 2021 and 52 in 2020, according to Honolulu Police Department statistics.
Eleven of this year’s fatalities were alcohol-related, compared with seven in 2021 and 16 in 2020. Nine of the deaths this year were connected to drugs, compared with 20 in 2021 and 15 in 2020.
As toxicology data from autopsy results is reviewed, the number of alcohol-related fatalities is expected to rise, according to police.
As of Thursday, Honolulu police had made 2,568 arrests this year for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, with 125 of those coming this month. In 2021 there were 2,539 arrests with 131 arrests by Dec. 22.
“The Honolulu Police Department will be stepping up enforcement during this holiday weekend in an effort to deter hazardous drivers and reduce traffic collisions and fatalities,” said Maj. Benjamin Moszkowicz, commander of HPD’s Traffic Division, in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
In preliminary statewide data for 2022, out of 94 fatal crashes in Hawaii, 47.9% were related to speeding, and 61.7% of the drivers involved in fatal crashes tested positive for having alcohol and/or drugs in their systems, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Nationwide during December in the years 2016-2020, there were more than 4,400 people killed in drunken driving- related crashes, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Young people ages 21-34 accounted for the highest percentage, 26%, of alcohol- impaired fatalities in the country in December 2020, the most recent statistics available.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched its annual drive-sober campaign for the holiday season Dec. 13. The agency is driving home three messages: “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different” and “Drive High, Get a DUI.”
The national messaging campaign is supported by a $13.2 million media buy, which includes TV, radio and digital ads in English and Spanish. NHSTA debuted English and Spanish TV commercials focusing on drug-impaired driving. The federal agency partners with local law enforcement across the country to promote sober driving by helping to fund sobriety checkpoints and community outreach.
“Making a plan for a safe, sober ride home is critical to saving lives this holiday season,” said NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson in a news release. “I urge everyone to do their part to end these preventable tragedies by always driving sober, designating a sober driver, using public transportation or calling a taxi or ride- hailing service.”
