Halloween Traffic Enforcement Results in 13 Arrests, 53 Citations

Maui police car on Front St in Lahaina during 2017 Halloween. PC: Marlo Antes

Maui police made a total of 13 arrests and issued 53 citations during a Halloween traffic enforcement effort aimed at reducing impaired driving.

The data is separate from the zero arrests and citations issued during the 2017 Halloween in Lahaina event on Front Street on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017.

The Maui Police Department-Traffic Section conducted multiple DUI Checkpoints on Halloween night to prevent and apprehend impaired drivers.

Police say Halloween rivals St. Patrick’s Day and New Years as “the busiest night for the Traffic Section’s Vehicle Homicide Unit and DUI Task Force Unit.”

The following are the results of MPD’s efforts to reduce impaired driving during Halloween 2017:

Total Traffic related arrests, 13, including the following:

Impaired Driving arrests: 8
Other Traffic Crime arrests: 5

Total traffic citations issued, 53, including the following:

No Driver’s License citations issued: 7
No Vehicle Insurance citations issued: 4
Speeding citations issued: 20
Mobile Electronic Device (cell phone) citations issued: 10
Other moving traffic citations issued: 12

Police say that in addition, one person was placed under arrest for Assault against a Police Officer after striking a DUI Task Force officer and attempting to flee a DUI Checkpoint after being stopped.

Traffic Section officers also recovered several grams of crystal methamphetamine from a vehicle stopped at a DUI Checkpoint.

“We have seen higher numbers of individuals arrested on Halloween night for impaired driving,” police officials said. “But we are also seeing a decrease in impaired drivers on the roads following the Halloween festivities in Lahaina.”

“More people are utilizing other forms of transportation to and from this event. While working the DUI Checkpoints, officers saw hundreds of people who had consumed alcohol using other forms of transportation that didn’t require them to drive: There was shuttle service transporting people from Front Street in Lahaina; numerous taxis and Uber/Lyft drivers were transporting passengers constantly throughout the night,” police added.

Maui police thanked those who chose not to drive impaired.