By the end of the year, the tally of arrests on O'ahu for impaired driving likely will reach an eight-year high, and data indicate that as of October, the average blood alcohol content was almost more than double the legal limit.

Blood alcohol levels from the 3,268 arrests made through Oct. 31 averaged 0.155 percent, according to the Honolulu Police Department. And under a new law enacted July 1, drivers found to be at a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher are categorized as highly intoxicated and subject to stiffer penalties than would be imposed for those over the 0.08 level that is the definition of legally drunk.

The increasing number of arrests is largely due to stepped-up enforcement efforts, but coupled with a 0.155 average that is nearly twice that of legally drunk, police and others say there is reason for concern.

"That means that the average arrested person ... is intoxicated to a level of almost twice the legal limit," said Honolulu police Maj. Susan Dowsett, head of the HPD traffic detail. "There are apparently a lot of drivers driving thinking that they are not as intoxicated as they really are."

Under Act 198, a first-time arrest for drunken driving can mean license revocation for six months to one year with no option of getting a conditional permit.

If convicted, the driver would also receive a six-month absolute license suspension; mandatory attendance at a 14-hour-minimum substance abuse rehabilitation program; and any one or more of the following: 72 hours of community service, 48 hours to five days in jail, and $150 to $1,000 fine, or a $25 neurotrauma special fund surcharge.

"We lose more people to drunk driving than we do to guns and knives, and learning how many of these people are highly intoxicated is frightening for the safety of Hawai'i's roads," said city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle. "The key is to focus on repeat offenders and the people that get up so high that there is an extreme danger. These people are a harm to themselves and to others."

The spike in arrests worries law enforcement officials and drunken-driving-awareness advocates who are concerned with a high number of arrests before the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Through October, police have made 3,268 arrests compared with 3,432 last year, 3,282 in 2005, 3,009 in 2004, 2,341 in 2003, 2,188 in 2002, 2,174 in 2001 and 2,089 in 2000.

Between 2001 and 2005, there were 674 traffic fatalities statewide. Of that, 303, or 45 percent, were alcohol-related deaths.

"We are saddened by the fact that people continue to put themselves and others on the roads at risk by driving impaired. We just ask people to plan ahead before going out, designate a driver or call a cab," said Leah Marx, executive director of the Hawai'i chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "This simple action will ensure that your evening is filled with fun and happy memories, not tragedy.

"We are extremely grateful for the work that law enforcement is doing statewide; their efforts with stepped-up patrols, sobriety checkpoints and other high-visibility enforcement measures have led to more arrests and saved countless lives on our roads."

FEDERAL FUNDING

Police say they have been able to increase enforcement activity in large part due to a federal grant that has allowed for DUI checkpoints and patrols every week of the year in all four counties.

In addition to checkpoints, a special unit patrols major thoroughfares, enforcing traffic laws and looking for impaired drivers.

"One impaired driver has the potential to harm everyone that the driver comes in contact with when they are operating the vehicle under the influence. That could be hundreds of drivers and pedestrians in one trip alone," Dowsett said. "Multiply that by all the impaired drivers caught ... and the potential threat of harm is great. This is avoidable by avoiding impaired driving."

The state Department of Transportation distributed $309,000 in fiscal 2007 to the four county police departments for DUI enforcement.

"We're grateful police are cracking down on drunk driving, but we're concerned that these drivers are not heeding the safety message heading into the holiday season," said Scott Ishikawa, DOT spokesman. "The last thing we want is a family losing a loved one during Christmastime because of a drunk driver."

HIGH-PROFILE CASES

Some high-profile drunken-driving arrests on O'ahu this year involved individuals whose blood alcohol levels were more than twice the legal limit.

State Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, 32, was arrested Oct. 16 after he lost control of his car and struck a concrete pillar at the Hua Street overpass in a west-bound lane of the Moanalua Freeway. Police said Karamatsu, D-41st (Waipahu, Village Park, Waikele), failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the Kalihi police substation, where a Breathalyzer measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.171.

Two weeks later, on Oct. 30, local entertainer James H. "Kimo" Kahoano Jr. was arrested near the Waimanalo Town Center. Arrest records show he was pulled over near 41-1540 Kalaniana'ole Highway about 9:45 p.m. Police said Kahoano was involved in a minor vehicle collision on Oneawa Street in Kailua and fled the scene.

Kahoano failed a Breathalyzer test, which recorded his blood alcohol concentration at more than 0.2, police said.

He has pleaded no contest to charges of drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident. The co-host of TV's "Hawaii Stars" faces the loss of his driver's license for six months. He also will have to attend 14 hours of substance abuse rehabilitation classes.

On Oct. 24, "Lost" co-star Daniel Dae Kim was arrested at 2:30 a.m. on South King Street. The 39-year-old's blood alcohol content was 0.168, more than twice the legal limit, police said. Kim was the third member of the "Lost" cast to be arrested for drunken driving in Hawai'i.

R. Patrick McPherson, a Honolulu attorney who focuses on drunken-driving defense and traffic offenses, said he has noticed an intense focus on drunken-driving arrests as the number of traffic fatalities has increased, including more than 80 last year alone.

"There are more cops out there making more arrests," said McPherson, who is representing Dae Kim. "The Police Department is focusing on DUIs after the traffic deaths in the state have been increasing."

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.