Towing Vehicles of Impaired Drivers Begins in Maui County

Impaired Driving Awareness Checkpoint. (11.22.19) PC: Wendy Osher

The Maui Police Department will begin towing the vehicles of drivers arrested for driving under the influence beginning this weekend, according to Maui Police.

DUI check points will be set up as police begin enacting this new law, according to a notification issued by the office of Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura.

The tow ordinance, also known as Bill 70 gained unanimous passage in Council on Dec. 20, ahead of the New Year.

The bill is modeled after Aliyah’s law on Hawaiʻi Island which is designed to deter motorists from driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol by authorizing police to tow vehicles at the drivers or registered owners expense when they are arrested for a DUI.

Councilmembers passed the law amid a string of traffic fatalities attributed to drunk or impaired driving, which numbered 15 at the time of passage. Total traffic fatalities on Maui County roads in 2019 was 23.

“Drive safely. If you are drinking before driving, call a taxi, call an Uber or Lyft or a friend. Remember driving under the influence is not acceptable,” said Sugimura.

Impaired Driving Awareness Checkpoint. (11.22.19) PC: Wendy Osher