More DUI checkpoints slated
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Police in all four Hawai'i counties will set up new, more random checkpoints for drunken driving starting early next month.
The "52/12" program, designed to increase the element of surprise for drunken drivers, will provide police with a new tool to reduce traffic fatalities in the state, Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday.
In the past, police have usually set up the drunken driving checkpoints on a predictable schedule, usually holiday weekends. Under the new, federally financed program, however, there will be at least one checkpoint in each county each week of the year, Lingle said.
"More than ever, if you drink and drive in Hawai'i, you will lose," Lingle told more than 300 traffic-safety experts from around the country gathered in Waikiki for an annual meeting of the Governors' Highway Safety Association.
Last year, 72 people in Hawai'i died in alcohol-related accidents, a 53 percent increase over the previous year. The "52/12" program has had success in reducing drunken driving in areas where it's been used, officials said.
"I think we've gotten a little too predictable in our enforcement," said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Transportation Department. "This is a way to shake that up."
Carol McNamee, spokeswoman for Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Hawai'i, praised the announcement.
"Law enforcement is truly the key to fighting this problem," McNamee said. "Now, they'll be seeing a lot more blue on the road and maybe they'll be more careful about getting into a car after drinking, whether it's a holiday or not."
Conference attendees, however, said that the most pressing problem facing states today is speeding.
Speeding is rapidly approaching drunken driving as the leading cause of fatalities in the country, but hasn't been demonized publicly in the same way as DUI behavior, several officials said.
"We've made great progress in getting people to use their seat belts and increasing awareness about drunken driving, but now we need to make the same kind of national effort to reduce speeding," said Kathryn Swanson, the GHSA chair.
Speeders aren't considered bad drivers in the same way as those who drink and drive, said Lowell Porter, chief of the Washington State Highway Patrol. Prompted by Porter, almost everyone in a workshop titled "Speed: Highway Safety's Neglected Stepchild" admitted exceeding the speed limit at times.
"Isn't it time for a Mothers Against Speeding?" said Judith Eiler, a judge in Washington's Kent County.
The key to changing public attitudes and reducing speeding is more and better enforcement, said Brian O'Neill, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
"Nothing is more educational than a traffic ticket," he said.
Lingle said her administration will present lawmakers next year with a package of bills to increase highway safety. She said the bills will deal with children's booster seats, speeding and a graduated driver's license program, but she did not offer any specifics.
"We're still formulating the specific recommendations," she said.
The governor urged conference participants to come up with national standards and research about speeding that could be used locally.
Last year, nearly every effort to toughen drunken driving, racing or speeding laws failed at the Legislature, even though there were several highly publicized traffic accidents.
"You can't get discouraged. It's a long, long road," Swanson said.
Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5460.
