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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, January 13, 2005

Hawai'i DUI deaths fall 40%

By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

Alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Hawai'i plummeted by more than 40 percent last year, a sign that increased awareness, education and enforcement are working, police said.

While the numbers are preliminary, figures show that alcohol-related traffic deaths dropped from 72 in 2003 to 43 last year, according to the state Department of Transportation. On O'ahu, alcohol-related fatal accidents fell from 32 in 2003 to 19 in 2004, or almost 41 percent, police said.

"We're very encouraged by the decrease but we still feel 43 deaths is 43 too many," said Connie Abram, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the organization that released the statistics yesterday. "We need to remain vigilant in our law enforcement and education efforts."

Police caution that the total number of alcohol-related fatalities for 2004 is preliminary, and could change based on pending autopsy results from the City Medical Examiner's office.

The drop comes at the same time that arrests for drunken driving have hit a five-year high.

In 2003, 2,341 people were arrested on O'ahu for driving under the influence of alcohol, up from 2,188 in 2002 and 2,166 in 2001. Through October 2004, officers had made 2,503 arrests.

"We've certainly had a significant increase in the number of arrests for drunk driving in 2004, coming in at just about 3,000," said Maj. Doug Miller, head of the Honolulu Police Department's traffic division. "I'm hopeful that our efforts have played a part in the reduction in these numbers."

Police said the spike in arrests can be credited to increased enforcement and does not necessarily mean more people are drinking and driving.

Abram said the number of fatalities fluctuates from year to year and that the recent spike and ensuing decline is not uncommon. She said these deaths began decreasing in the 1980s and '90s but have either flatlined or increased since then.

"We're really pleased with the partnerships we have with DOT and the county police departments, but the most important partner we have in stopping drunk driving is the person behind the wheel," she said.

MADD, the state Transportation Department and police work together to increase enforcement, improve education and ratchet up public awareness. Educational campaigns, increased sobriety checkpoints and common sense advice are tools the agencies use.

The Transportation Department's "52/12" campaign provides funding for county police departments to implement at least one checkpoint every week of the year. Traditionally in Hawai'i, roadblocks have been clustered around holiday weekends.

"Hawai'i is one of the leading states in the nation when it comes to implementing effective anti-drunk driving strategies," Rod Haraga, Transportation Department director, said in a statement. "Hawai'i has put into practice programs that are almost incomparable to anywhere else in the nation."

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8110.

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