"We're going to saturate the hot spots with total enforcement," said Lt. Bobby Hill, commander of the police Traffic Section. "It's in response to the public's complaints and demands.

"It's going to be in the areas where most of our fatalities have been occurring and where complaints have been occurring."

Calls for more traffic enforcement surfaced after a fatal crash June 3 on Honoapiilani Highway that killed 8-year-old Will Smith of San Antonio.

The boy was a passenger in a car driven by his mother that was struck by an oncoming car when its driver lost control of the vehicle, veered off the roadway, then went into the opposite lane of traffic near Ukumehame Wayside Park, police said.

While continuing to investigate, police suspect that speeding and reckless driving by the 23-year-old Lahaina woman behind the wheel of the oncoming car contributed to the crash.

Speeding and reckless driving are also suspected, along with alcohol use, in a two-vehicle collision a week later that killed 68-year-old Jerry Killough of Oklahoma City. He was driving a Wailea-bound sedan that was struck by a Maalaea-bound pickup truck that crossed the double-solid line on Piilani Highway near Alanui Ke Alii on June 10.

Police are investigating whether speed was a factor in other crashes this year as well. Fourteen people have died in traffic collisions this year on Maui County roads, compared with nine traffic deaths at the same time last year.

Before the enforcement begins, police are warning that it's coming.

While police aren't revealing the specific dates and times, Hill said, "Once enforcement starts, people are going to know it."

At least a dozen traffic and patrol officers will conduct the enforcement effort on special assignment during day and night hours to look for drivers who speed, pass on the right side of the road and engage in other types of aggressive driving that put all motorists on the roads at risk, Hill said.

"We're looking for driving behaviors and patterns that are causing collisions," he said.

The increased enforcement will be provided for 12 to 16 hours a day, covering Honoapiilani, Piilani, Kuihelani, Mokulele and Haleakala highways.

While speed limits on those roads range from 45 to 55 mph, "officers have actually stopped people going 100 miles an hour in broad daylight," Hill said.

Of the traffic deaths this year, four occurred on Piilani Highway, three were on Honoapiilani Highway, two were on Kuihelani Highway and one was on Mokulele Highway.

In addition to citing drivers for traffic offenses, officers will make arrests when warranted in cases involving excessive speeding or reckless driving that endangers others, Hill said.

The fine for speeding is $5 per mile over the speed limit plus $57 in fees.

Under a law that took effect this year, drivers who are clocked traveling 80 mph or faster and those traveling 30 mph over the speed limit face potential jail time, higher fines and license suspensions.

"It's not going to be just giving tickets. That sometimes gives the public a bad impression," Hill said. "It's to correct behavior."

He said the special enforcement will be in addition to ongoing DUI enforcement. Police made more than 400 DUI arrests this year through May. From the evening before the Fourth of July through early-morning hours Thursday, nine people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Central Maui, Kihei and Lahaina.

Once the special operation is done, police will evaluate how it worked and look toward developing programs that keep drivers from engaging in reckless behavior.

"The good thing for people to do is just slow down and stop the kind of driving actions that cause crashes and hurt people," Hill said.