The driver of a car involved in a crash at the Wilson tunnel that killed three people had a blood alcohol level almost three times the legal limit.

Driver James Krzywonski's blood alcohol level was .225; .08 is considered legally drunk.

Krzywonski, 30, Keone Cardenas, 25, and Amelia Albertsen, 22, died in the early Thursday morning crash after a night out celebrating a friend's birthday.

The two passengers also had been drinking, according to the Medical Examiner's Office, with Albertsen having a blood alcohol level of .214 and Cardenas' level at .095.

Police said a 2001 Audi, driven by Krzywonski, was traveling toward Kane'ohe on Likelike Highway at 100 mph. Krzywonski lost control on a turn before the tunnel, and the car slammed into a concrete barrier at the entrance to the tunnel.

State court records show Krzywonski was ticketed 17 times for alleged traffic offenses between May 19, 2001, and April 24, 2008. Seven of the tickets were for speeding, including a 2003 citation for allegedly going 118 mph in a 55 mph zone.

As traffic death tolls mount and O'ahu heads into what is shaping up to be one of the more deadlier years on record, police are warning of increased enforcement effort for speeding, as well as drunken and hazardous driving.

Since January, 17 people died in 15 crashes on O'ahu's roads. Speed was a contributing factor in nine of the crashes, said police Deputy Chief Paul Putzulu.

In January, police have issued 5,400 speeding citations compared with 4,339 in January 2008.

In 2008, 58,800 speeding citation were issued. Of those, 2,600 were for excessive speeding defined at 30 mph over the limit or 80 mph or more. In 2006, 54,145 speeding tickets were issued.

The Legislature is considering taking some of the teeth out of the excessive speeding law, but the police department will oppose that.

"In January, we arrested more than 300 impaired drivers," Putzulu said. "Yet despite these efforts, our death continues to rise at an alarming rate."

ON A DEADLY TRACK

If crashes and deaths continue at this pace, O'ahu will have one of its most deadly years.

"If you just extrapolate the numbers, we're going to be rising up to the level of a couple of years ago when we were just shy of 100 fatalities," Putzulu said. "We can't afford that."

Last year, 46 people died on O'ahu roads.

Police will step up enforcement, he said, shifting more patrol officers to traffic enforcement.

The warning came a day after the three deaths in the Likelike Highway crash and a fourth death in a motorcycle accident in Ma'ili.

The public must do its share, Putzulu said, including slowing down and talking to friends, family, neighbors and co-workers about the dangers of speeding and driving drunk.

"I'm providing a warning to all motorists today," Putzulu said. "Across the island, our officers will be focusing on speeders, drunk drivers and anyone else who pose risk to other drivers, their passengers or pedestrians."