59 of 109 accident related fatalities in Hawaii in 2009 were caused by drivers operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant (OVUII). In 52 of those 59 cases, the driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above. A BAC of .08 or higher exceeds the legal limit, and that means that the driver will be charged with an OVUII crime. A professional driver with a commercial license has a BAC of .04, while a driver under the age of 21 has a BAC limit of .02.
Hawaii has an escalating set of penalties that depend on the number of OVUII convictions a driver has. For the first conviction, a driver will spend from 48 hours to 5 days in jail. If there was a child under 15 years old in the vehicle, the driver will spend an additional 48 hours in jail. Fines range from $150 to $1,500. Their license will be suspended from 30 to 90 days. If the drivers BAC was .15 or above, then their license can be suspended for 6 months. Hawaii also requires 72 hours of community service from a first time offender, and demands that they complete a substance abuse education program.
For a third OVUII conviction in Hawaii, a driver face 10 to 30 days is prison. The required fine also increases to $500 to $2,500. Their license will be revoked for a full 2 year period. The driver is also required to complete a longer substance abuse education program. If a child under the age of 15 was in the car, then there is an additional 48 hours in jail, and another $500 fine.
DUI / DWI facts and statistics in Hawaii
- In 2017, 2 out of the 42 driving fatalities due to DUI / DWI was driven by drivers under the age of 21
- In the same year, 29 out of the 5,968 offenders caught for DUI / DWI were under the age of 18
- In 2018, 4 out of the 35 driving fatalities due to DUI / DWI were driven by drivers under the age of 21
- In the same year, 11 out of the 4,288 offenders caught for DUI / DWI were under the age of 18
source: responsibility.org, fbi.gov
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