Police Checking Child Safety Seats in Puna Saturday, December 20

In a continued effort to prioritize the safety of our keiki on Hawai‘i Island roads, the Hawai‘i Police Department (HPD) will hold a combined DUI checkpoint and child safety seat inspection clinic on Saturday, December 21, 2024, in front of the Mountain View Elementary School along Highway 11, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

“We are proud to say that the vast majority of people in Hawai‘i County are wearing seatbelts and insuring that their keiki are in the proper child safety seat or booster seat. If you are traveling through the area we encourage you to stop and ask questions about the child safety seats and even ask for help in properly installing the child safety seats,” said Torey Keltner, program manager of HPD’s Traffic Services Section.

During the DUI checkpoint, officers will also be ensuring that children are properly restrained in age-appropriate safety seats or restraints. Parents whose children are not properly secured will be directed to a nearby inspection station, where certified technicians will assist them in making the necessary adjustments or installations to ensure their child’s safety.

“We are seeing positive trends in road safety and we want to work with parents to continue this upward trend,” said Keltner.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, recent national data shows that there is still much progress to be made. In 2022, there were 42,514 traffic fatalities in the U.S., of which 1,129 were children aged 14 and younger. In addition, 156,502 children were injured in traffic crashes. On average, three children lost their lives and 429 were injured every day in traffic crashes during 2022.

The last time Hawai‘i Police Department held a DUI checkpoint / child safety seat inspection was in Kona in September 2024. The event started at 9 a.m. on a Saturday, and within six minutes police had arrested an impaired driver.

This event is a reminder that road safety is all of our kuleana, please be the voice that encourages a keiki or ‘ohana to use a car seat or seatbelt. By promoting the use of seat belts, child safety seats, and encouraging safe driving practices, we can all play a role in keeping our keiki safe on the road.