With still more than 4 months of 2025 to go, DUI arrests at 52% of 2024 annual total

Hawai‘i Island police have made just shy of 500 arrests so far this year for driving under the influence of an intoxicant, booking 497 motorists for the offense through the week ending July 13.

The number is a nearly 5% decrease (4.97%) from the 523 total DUI arrests police made by this time in 2024; however, it is more than half, 52%, of the total 964 DUI arrests during all of last year.

And there’s still more than 4 months left in 2025.

Hawai‘i Police Department data reveals the majority of those arrests seemingly happening consistently the most in Kona, Hilo and Puna, and in that order, respectively. However, the top two occasionally shift.

The past 2 weeks are good examples.

During the week of July 7-13, a total of 13 motorists were arrested for DUI on roadways around the island, four of whom were involved in traffic crashes.

Five of those arrests were made in Kona, with 4 reported in Hilo and 2 in Puna.

Big Island police arrested a total of 24 motorists for DUI during the week of 4th of July, from June 30 to July 6, with Hilo more than dominating the numbers.

The East Hawai‘i district accounted for 13 of the DUI arrests that week, more than half of the weekly total and the same amount of DUI arrests made the entire next week.

Kona was second on the list during the holiday week with 5 DUI arrests and Puna had 3.

The West Hawai‘i district still has a slight edge in total DUI arrests so far this year, however.

Police in Kona have booked 180 motorists for the offense up to this point in 2025, which is 52% of the total 347 DUI arrests made — or 167 less — in the aread throughout all of 2024.

Hilo follows in close second with 169 total DUI arrests so far in 2025, just 11 fewer than Kona but at nearly 60% of its total 297 made — or 128 less — during all of last year.

Puna remains the consistent third, with a total 93 DUI arrests so far this year, 47% of the total 196 DUI arrests made — or 103 less — throughout all of 2024 in the East Hawai‘i district.

DUI ARRESTS BY DISTRICT FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 7-13

Hawai‘i Police Department Traffic Services Section also reviewed its updated crash records and found 558 major crashes so far this year. That marks a nearly 5% increase (4.89%) compared with the 532 major crashes recorded by the same time in 2024.

That also represents 57% of the total 987 major crashes on Big Island roadways throughout all of last year. There’s a difference of 429 between last year’s annual total and where the stats stand now.

Major crashes already increased 17.1% in 2024 from the 843 recorded in 2023.

Fatal traffic crashes and fatalities have seen a much welcomed decrease so far in 2025.

There have been 13 fatal crashes so far this year on Big Island roadways, a decrease of 23.53% compared with 17 that happened by this point last year. Those crashes resulted in 14 fatalities, a 26.32% decrease from the 19 fatalities resulting from those 17 fatal crashes.

Last year was brutal and deadly on Big Island roadways.

There were a total of 26 fatal crashes and 29 fatalities because of them. Compared to 2023, with 14 fatal crashes and 15 resulting fatalities, the island saw its numbers of fatal crashes and fatalities skyrocket by 85.7% and 93.3% in 2024.

Fatal crash and fatality numbers are right now at essentially half of what they were for all of last year — and essentially even with 2023, but with one less in each category.

Hawai‘i Police Department says DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue islandwide.

News reporter Nathan Christophel contributed to this story.