LIHUE — Law enforcement officers consider Thanksgiving through New Year’s the most dangerous time to be on the road.
And the most hazardous span during that holiday window is New Year’s Eve, when partygoers celebrate new beginnings and, unfortunately, sometimes get behind the wheel under the influence.
Count the Kauai Police Department as one agency upping its patrol to ensure the island’s roads are safe.
KPD said it will increase patrols and sobriety checkpoints around the island tonight to see if drivers are under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or committing other traffic violations such as texting while driving or not wearing seat belts.
“We want our residents and visitors to enjoy a safe and happy New Year,” said Richard Rosa, acting captain of the Patrol Services Bureau. “If you are going to drink, please do so responsibly and have a designated driver. Officers will be stepping up traffic enforcement islandwide through the New Year holiday and anyone caught under the influence of alcohol will be arrested.”
So far, 27 drunken driving citations were issued on the island in December.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that over the past decade, almost two out of every five deaths that occur around the New Year’s holiday and the Christmas holiday were alcohol-impaired.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving — Hawaii chapter, says the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign is in collaboration with law enforcement to crackdown on operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant. This includes more enforcement and KPD district commanders in Waimea, Lihue and Hanalei are scheduling at least one checkpoint per month.
MADD supports roadside checkpoints as a high-visibility deterrent, said Abigail Nickell, executive director, MADD-Hawaii. The checkpoints are proven in reducing drunken driving related deaths and are meant to deter the offense from even occurring, not just as a way to arrest more intoxicated drivers, Nickell said.
“Research shows that alcohol-related fatalities are reduced up to 20 percent when people are aware of checkpoints on the island,” Nickell said. “It helps people to think twice about getting behind the wheel after drinking.”
Out of all the deaths in Hawaii, 41 percent are alcohol-related each year. That’s one of the highest rankings in the nation and higher than the national average of 31 percent, she said.
“Especially the rural neighbor islands where the chance of a crash is so much higher,” Nickell said.
MADD recommends using a designated driver, adding the number of a local cab service to your cell phone, spending the night at the home where you are celebrating and not getting in a car with a driver who has been drinking as a way of avoiding driving impaired.
This year, KPD arrested 255 Kauai drivers for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant through Dec. 30. This compares to 232 arrests for all of 2012 and 221 in 2011. The peak four-year rate was 274 in 2010.
According to police, there were eight traffic fatalities on Kauai’s roadways in 2012, and four of those crashes were alcohol-related. There have been seven road fatalities on Kauai in 2013.
