Two men arrested last week after they were allegedly caught racing in the westbound lanes of Moanalua Freeway near Fort Shafter are among two dozen racing arrests so far this year, and with the holiday season approaching, police are urging motorists to slow down.

Honolulu Police Department officers had arrested 24 people for racing as of Thursday, along with 145 for reckless driving and 177 for excessive speeding by driving 30 mph over the speed limit or 80 mph or more.

The two men arrested Tuesday Opens in a new tab, aged 25 and 29, were taken into custody on suspicion of racing on highways and traveling more than 30 mph faster than the posted speed limit, according to HPD’s online arrest log. Both were booked at 12:30 a.m. and released at 2:15 a.m. after posting $100 bail for each count.

HPD and the Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney declined to disclose how fast the two men were allegedly driving, what the make and model of their cars are or how patrol officers caught them.

“Racing on the highway, reckless driving and excessive speeding … put all of us on the road in danger. We work closely with the Honolulu Police Department to prosecute all those who have been arrested or cited for these offenses. Holding them accountable protects everyone on our roads and highways,” said Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm.

According to Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-103, anyone who violates the racing-on-highways statute while operating a vehicle at a speed exceeding the posted speed limit by 30 miles per hour or more shall be subject to a fine of not more than $2,000 and a term of imprisonment of not more than one year, or both, if prior convictions and other conditions apply.

Racing is defined as “one or more vehicles in an attempt to outgain, outdistance, or prevent another vehicle from passing” and to beat other racers to a given destination or to “test the physical stamina or endurance of drivers” over long-distance driving routes.

As of Thursday, Honolulu police had issued 18,008 citations for speeding on Oahu roads, 1,291 for violating the basic speed rule requiring motorists to drive at “reasonable and prudent” speeds, 4,450 for excessive speeding, 483 for reckless driving and 213 for racing on the highway.

As of Saturday, there have been about 22,390 traffic collisions on Oahu in 2024, according to HPD’s data dashboard, 41 of which resulted in critical injuries. Thirty five people have died in vehicle collisions so far this year.

Maj. James Slayter, who commands HPD’s Traffic Division, said that street racing is more than young people competing with their cars on public roadways. It also involves drivers pushing their vehicles and abilities past a safe and legal threshold.

Slayter, a 28-year HPD veteran, said he’s worked scenes of racing accidents where a passenger or motorist not involved in the race is critically injured or killed. He urged would-be racers to slow down and obey the rules of the road.

“You’re not just putting your life in danger. You are putting everyone else’s life in danger,” he said.

Speeding is believed to have contributed to a multivehicle crash Friday that injured three men, one critically, in Nanakuli that also snarled traffic on Farrington Highway.

Honolulu police said that at about 5:15 a.m., a 31-year-old man was driving west on the highway “at a high rate of speed” when he side-swiped a vehicle driven by a 21-year-old man, lost control of his vehicle and careened into the eastbound lanes, crashing into a second vehicle driven by a 32-year-old motorist.

The resulting chain- reaction crash involved four additional vehicles to some extent.

HPD performs targeted speed and impaired driving enforcement every week and ramps up during the period from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. The festive nature of the holiday season, with an influx of visitors and residents returning home, makes safe driving that much more important.

Slayter asked drivers to stay sober, avoid distractions such as texting or viewing mobile devices and obey posted speed limits and driving instructions.

“The hustle and bustle of getting gifts, going to different parties — there is a lot going on,” he said.