Maui Police Step Up DUI Patrols for the Holidays

Pictured from left to right: Officer Alvin Ota, Officer Ryan Ehlers, Sergeant Nick Krau, Officer Carl Eguia, and Officer Rusty. Photo courtesy the Maui Police Department.

By Wendy Osher

The Maui Police Department will be stepping up holiday DUI enforcement over the next three weeks during their “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign that runs from now until Friday, Jan. 2, 2015.

DUI Task Force Sergeant Nick Krau said the annual holiday season campaign is conducted nationwide “to help raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education.”

During a similar three week campaign conducted in 2014, police made a total of 42 arrests for drivers operating a motor vehicle while under the influence.  During that county-wide campaign, police set up a total of 14 intoxication controlled checkpoints.

Police also conducted DUI enforcement from Aug. 15 to Sept. 1, 2014.  During that campaign, police arrested 57 motorists for driving while under the influence of an intoxicant.  Police also made 13 traffic related arrests during the 10 hour traffic enforcement effort to keep roads safe on Halloween night.  The arrests included 9 for impaired driving.

Krau said that “due to the increase in drunk-driving-related incidents around the holidays each year, the DUI Task Force will be out in force,” and actively searching for impaired drivers.

According to Maui Police, national statistics show that more than 10,322 people are killed by impaired drivers in the US each year.

“As participants of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign period, we will be increasing our number of patrols, and setting up roadblocks. If you’re driving impaired, we will find and arrest you. No warnings, no excuses. You’ll face jail time, fines, loss of your driver’s license, and other DUI related expenses,” said Sergeant Krau in a department press release.

Police advise that if you do plan on drinking at a holiday party, bar, or restaurant, to let a sober person do the driving by asking a friend, taking a taxi or using public transportation.

“The safest and only approach is to drive sober,” said Krau.

The Police Department released the following tips on how to keep the holidays safe and happy this 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, 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.