Maui Police Begin Holiday Crackdown on Impaired Driving

Impaired Driving Enforcement. Maui Now graphic.

The Maui Police Department’s Traffic Section will be cracking down on impaired driving as part of the annual holiday “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” nationwide campaign.

The enforcement effort starts today and continues into the New Year.

It will include patrols and intoxication control checkpoints.  Police will also be monitoring motorists for speeding, seat belt and cell phone talking/texting laws, as well as violators running red traffic signals.

Sergeant Nick Krau with the Maui Police Department’s DUI TASK FORCE said the campaign comes at a time of year when impaired driving traditionally increases.

According to transportation data, more than 10,000 people each year are killed by impaired drives across the nation.

“The primary mission of our DUI Task Force Unit is to drastically reduce the number of impaired driving crashes in Maui County,” said Sgt. Krau.

He offered the following list of tips for drivers to stay safe this holiday season:

• Under the right conditions, even one drink can impair your judgment and increase the risk of getting arrested for driving drunk or worse – the risk of having a crash.
• If you will be drinking, do not plan on driving. Plan ahead. Designate a sober driver before the party begins.
• If you have been drinking, do not drive. Call a taxi, Uber, phone a sober friend or family member or use our public bus system.
• Remember a sober driver isn’t the person who drank the least. It’s someone who didn’t drink at all.