Don’t Drink and Drive. Stay Alive

Every year, lives are lost on Hawaiʻi’s roads for one simple reason: someone believed they were “okay to drive.” Not drunk. Not reckless. Just a little buzzed. Just a short ride home. Just one mistake.

Alcohol doesn’t need to make you fall over to make you dangerous. Even small amounts slow reaction time, reduce judgment, and blur awareness. Behind the wheel, that delay of half a second can be the difference between braking and impact, between arriving home and never arriving at all.

Driving is not just about you. It’s about the family in the other lane. The child sleeping in the back seat of the car ahead. The motorcyclist you didn’t see. The pedestrian crossing with trust that you will stop.

Alcohol breaks that trust.

In Hawaiʻi, drinking is often wrapped in social moments—celebrations, gatherings, fireworks, weekends, holidays. But the road doesn’t care about the reason. Asphalt doesn’t forgive. Speed and alcohol multiply each other’s damage.

What makes drunk driving especially tragic is how preventable it is. This isn’t fate. It’s a choice. A ride share. A phone call. A decision to wait. A friend who takes the keys. These small actions save lives more often than people realize.

Many crashes don’t just end one life. They ripple outward—parents burying children, children growing up without parents, friends living with guilt that never fades. One moment of impaired judgment can create a lifetime of pain.

Driving sober is not about fear. It’s about respect. Respect for your own life. Respect for others sharing the road. Respect for the idea that getting home safely matters more than convenience.

Driving with aloha means slowing down, staying present, and understanding that the road is a shared space. It means recognizing when you are not in a condition to drive—and choosing safety over pride.

If you’ve been drinking, don’t drive. Not a block. Not a mile. Not “just this once.”

If you see someone about to drive impaired, speak up. It may feel uncomfortable, but it’s far better than silence followed by sirens.

And if you’ve made mistakes in the past, let them end there. Awareness is not about judgment—it’s about learning and choosing better.

The message is simple because the truth is simple:

Don’t drink and drive.
Stay alive.

Your life matters. Other lives matter.
Arrive home. Every time.

Disclaimer ::: This illustration is a caricature created for public awareness and educational purposes only. It does not depict any real person or specific event. The image is intended to highlight the dangers of drinking and driving and to promote responsible behavior. No individuals are being accused, targeted, or represented. All responsibility for driving decisions remains with the individual.