By JOHN BURNETT
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Labor Day — the unofficial end of summer — is less than three weeks away, and with it comes beach and backyard parties and barbecues where adult beverages are consumed.
Police are gearing up DUI enforcement as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, which starts on Friday and runs through Monday, Sept. 2, Labor Day.
“The Labor Day weekend is part of the national campaign,” Sgt. Robert Pauole, who heads the police Traffic Services Section, said Tuesday. “It’s a three-day weekend. People are more likely to go out. (Officials) picked this time for the campaign because Labor Day is a bad time of the year when there are a lot of traffic fatalities based on impairment. And the campaign leads up to the Labor Day weekend, so enforcement is done prior to the weekend.”
Police say that during this year’s campaign, which is funded by a NHTSA grant, officers will conduct 20-30 sobriety checkpoints islandwide.
“This allows us to do the checkpoints using officers on an overtime basis, and the county doesn’t have to pay for it,” Pauole said. “Because normally, patrol officers and traffic enforcement officers have other responsibilities, and they don’t have the time to do the roadblocks, because patrol officers are being sent from call to call to call.”
The numbers of DUI arrests have remained relatively constant over the past three years. In fiscal year 2012-13, which ended June 30, officers made 1,420 DUI arrests, according to statistics provided by the Hawaii Police Department.
There were 1,480 DUI arrests in fiscal year 2010-11 and 1,419 arrests in fiscal year 2011-12. So far this year, police have made more than 700 DUI arrests, and 12 of the 21 traffic fatalities this year have been linked to drivers impaired by alcohol, drugs or both.
“It’s something we would like voluntary compliance with,” Police Chief Harry Kubojiri said Tuesday afternoon. “Don’t drink and drive and it will make our roadways safer.”
Last year was a particularly deadly year on Big Island roads, with 38 official traffic fatalities, up from 22 in 2011 and 27 in 2010.
“Enforcement is only one component,” Kubojiri said. “As a community, we have to take a multifaceted approach. There’s education, even counseling and treatment for substance abuse. If we could just get those who are violating the law to abide by the law, we would see a decrease, not only in fatalities, but in major traffic crashes.”
To help bring awareness to the upcoming campaign, the Police Department’s Traffic Services Section plans a sign-waving event on Kamehameha Avenue in Hilo from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday. Volunteers are encouraged to participate. For more information, call Traffic Safety Coordinator Dieter Blattler at 961-2226.
Some common-sense reminders for drivers and hosts include:
— Plan ahead and always designate a sober driver before consuming alcohol.
— Don’t drive a vehicle if you’ve been drinking. Call a taxi or a sober friend. A cab ride is cheaper than a DUI arrest.
— Take care of your friends. Take their keys. Never let a friend drive while impaired.
— If you are hosting a party, always offer non-alcoholic beverages. Make sure all of your guests leave with a sober driver.
— Never provide alcohol to anyone under the legal drinking age of 21.
“Get a designated driver, use a taxi — just don’t drink and drive,” Pauole said. “We’re out there in force. If you’re going to take that chance, … there’s a good chance we could arrest you for DUI. I know a DUI could screw up your life, but that’s a minor part of it. A worse consequence is hurting someone else — or yourself.”
Email John Burnett at
jburnett@hawaiitribune-
herald.com.