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Student drivers get a firsthand look at DUI enforcement effort

King Kekaulike High School sophomore Nick Deel hands a bottle of water to thank a motorist for driving sober as police DUI Task Force officer Kunal Chopra looks on Friday night at a DUI checkpoint on South Kihei Road. The Maui News / LILA FUJIMOTO photo

KIHEI — Some high school students studying for their driver’s licenses got a real-life lesson in safe driving while observing a police DUI checkpoint over the weekend.

“It’s just important that people drive safe and not under the influence so they won’t hurt anyone or get into any accidents,” said Belle Alvarez, a King Kekaulike High School junior who joined fellow driver’s education students at the checkpoint Friday night on South Kihei Road. “It’s better that they come here and get pulled over than be out on the streets.”

As DUI Task Force officers directed some vehicles into a coned-off area on the shoulder of the road, 15 students from the Pukalani campus held signs with messages like “Accidents Hurt, Safety Doesn’t” and “Drive Wise, Nobody Dies.” After DUI Task Force officers made contact with drivers, students handed out bottles of water to thank those who were determined to be driving sober.

“The kids can be part of the message of driving sober,” said officer Marvin Tevaga, a school resource officer assigned to King Kekaulike High School. “They feel good about it.”

Baldwin High School students also have participated in the program, which police organize a couple of times a year.

“We’re out doing enforcement, but we’re also educating these young drivers and future drivers,” said DUI Task Force Sgt. Nick Krau. “The kids have great attitudes. They’re very respectful.

“Our job is not just to enforce traffic laws and DUI laws. We want to educate people so they know all the facts and the dangers of driving impaired. That way, we can keep our roads safer and prevent impaired driving.”

Driver education teachers Kurt Reinecke and William Fisher accompanied the students, who volunteered to participate at the checkpoint Friday night. Earlier Friday, the students toured the Kihei Police Station as part of the outing.

“I think the kids are learning from this,” Reinecke said.

He said some of the students are interested in military and police jobs.

“The kids have a lot of questions for us,” said DUI Task Force officer Aaron Williams. “They’re interested in what we do, how we do things.”

While no DUI arrests were made while students were at the checkpoint Friday night, DUI Task Force officer Kunal Chopra had one driver step out of a truck to undergo field sobriety testing. After a few minutes, the driver was sent on his way.

Some students got a chance to use a police laser gun to measure the speeds of vehicles passing the area of the checkpoint.

“It’s really cool, just getting to see all the stuff behind the scenes,” said sophomore Nick Deel. “You get an appreciation for what these officers do, what they have to go through.”

Some of the students said they were a week away from applying for their driver’s licenses.

Tevaga said he hoped that the students realized that “if you’re going to be driving, you have a deadly weapon.”

He said the turnout Friday night was good, with Vice Principal Alison Hess and a parent also accompanying the students.

Also on hand to talk with students was Deputy Prosecutor Brandon Segal, who supervises deputies assigned to District Court, where most DUI and traffic cases are handled.

“The kids have great attitudes. They’re very respectful,” Krau said. “It’s always good to work with our community partners.”

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.

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