With the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend upon us, police are ramping up enforcement efforts with DUI checkpoints and patrols beginning today as part of the statewide and national campaign “Drunk Driving: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”
With the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend upon us, police are ramping up enforcement efforts with DUI checkpoints and patrols beginning today as part of the statewide and national campaign “Drunk Driving: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”
In addition, the current national “Click It or Ticket” seat belt and child restraint enforcement campaign runs through June 4.
“It’s been a tough year on our roads,” said Sgt. Robert Pauole of the Hawaii Police Department’s Traffic Services, referring to the 16 official traffic fatalities police have logged this year, six more than at this time last year. Six of this year’s road deaths occurred in an eight-day span within the past two weeks.
“I do know we’ve had a rather large spike in fatalities that are speed related within the past couple of weeks. Last year, we were at our highest level (for traffic fatalities) for 2012 and now we’re up from that. I’m really hoping that’s going to slow down,” Pauole said. “The Department of Transportation, the Police Department, the Prosecutor’s Office, the engineers for the county and the state — we’re all doing our job and pretty well, too. At this point, people have just got to slow down and be careful on the roadways. What is the big rush?”
This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, with graduation parties, beach outings and backyard barbecues, all of which increase alcohol consumption and the number of cars on the road.
“I’m appealing to the people out there, just slow down, wear your seat belts and don’t drink and drive. Those are three laws that can save your life, save other lives and stop what’s happening now on our roadways,” Pauole said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 28 people die every day in the United States in alcohol-related crashes — more than one person an hour. While drunken driving fatalities have decreased by a third in the last three decades, however, the chance of being killed in a crash where alcohol is a factor is still 1 in 3 during the course of a lifetime. The monetary toll of the deaths and damages is about $52 billion per year.
And those numbers go up on a three-day holiday weekend. A study by personal-finance website ValuePenguin using NHTSA statistics found motorists and passengers are four times more likely to die on the road during a holiday weekend than a normal weekend. Memorial Day led with an average of 312 fatalities per year between 2011 and 2015. Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer, wasn’t far behind, with an average of 308 traffic deaths.
Police are urging those who imbibe to have a designated sober and licensed driver before doing so. Alternatives include taxis or a ride-hailing service such as Uber or Lyft, which recently started up on the Big Island.
Officers at DUI roadblocks and on patrol also will check for compliance with seat belt and child restraint laws, Pauole said.
A 2013 law makes the driver responsible for all occupants in a vehicle. If the driver is stopped and a passenger is not using a seat belt, car seat or booster seat — whatever the case might be, whether in the front seat or back seat — the driver will be cited.
According to an NHTSA study, between 1960 and 2012 seat belts saved more lives — 329,715, to be exact — than all other vehicle technologies combined, including air bags, energy-absorbing steering assemblies and electronic stability control. And although seat belts have been around longer than the other technologies, they remain the most effective safety innovation in automotive history.
“In my opinion, the three big things that can get you killed out there are not buckling your seat belt, drinking and driving, and speeding,” Pauole said. “If people would just follow those three simple rules, our roads would be a lot safer.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.