Stricter Hawaii DUI Law Getting Results

Since Hawaii’s new and more stringent Driving Under the Influence (DUI) law went into effect on July 1, at least four repeat offenders have been arrested and face long prison sentences and other penalties, reports Big Island Now.

The new law makes a third DUI arrest a felony rather than a misdemeanor.

In 2018 alone, there were 33 fatalities due to drunk drivers in Hawaii. The new harsher law is part of an ongoing effort to end the crisis of drunk drivers killing innocent people, according to a state press release.

Under the new law, fines and lengths of license revocation have increased for first time offenders.

However, repeat offenders are really hit hard by the new measure. It specifies that a habitual operator of a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant convicted two or more times can be sentenced to a five-year prison term or probation of five years, along with a mandatory revocation of license for three to five years, as well as a fine of between $2,000 and $5,000, according to the report.

In addition, any vehicle owned and operated by the person committing the crime may be subject to forfeiture.